Sing Sing Sing?
by DeimosPhobos
Summary: Fai has lost his voice... to a mermaid.
1. Dive

Kurogane glared, staring at the sights around him. It looked and smelled like a place by the water, he thought. That would explain all the boat and fish shops after all. He began to walk forward, wanting to find a place to eat. A strange sound came from behind him, followed by the kids and the pork buns noises of shock and surprise. Damn, the mage was being stupid. Again.

"What the hell are you doing now-?" he began, turning and glaring at the blond man. Fai stood, bent over slightly, hands grasping his throat. He made small squeaking noises, then no noises at all.

"Fai-san!" Mokona cried from Sakura's shoulder, panicking as the man's throat began to glow softly.

"What the hell are you doing, mage?" Kurogane demanded, stomping over, Syaoran following. Fai, still clutching his neck, looked up to them, eye wide with confusion. He shuffled back, away from the group.

Suddenly, a small orb of light seeped out of his throat and between his fingers, and began to fly away. The man jumped after it, clawing the air as he tried to catch his voice. It began to fly away even faster, and Fai began sprinting after it under the moonlight, shrugging off his fluffy white coat as he went.

"Hey!" Kurogane yelled. He and the others began chasing after him, Syaoran scooping up the coat along the way.

Up ahead, Fai tried to yell, tell the strange light to come back. He only mouthed the words.

_My…Voice! That's my voice!!_

The orb raced along, approaching a shoreline. It raced over the water, hovering on the surface and taunting the wizard. The man's gaze hardened and he tore off his blue coat, and dove into the water. He began swimming out, determined to reclaim what was his.

The rest of the group had arrived, yelling for Fai to come back. He ignored them, and kept going. Suddenly, a shimmering hand shot out of the water, catching the voice. Fai tried to yell, grabbing the hand. He quickly recoiled, realizing that it was webbed.

_What?_

A woman's head broke the surface, gazing at him with curious purple eyes. Sakura gasped. The woman smiled acidly at Fai, kissing him quickly.

"This is mine now." She waved the small glowing orb in his face, smiling.

She then dove back under the surface, tail fin flicking against Fai's shin.

Fai floated there in the water, dumbfounded.

_A fish- woman has just stolen my voice…_

He turned to face the group. They stared back, mouths agape. None of them really had anything to say.

"Hey! Get out of the water, idiot!" a voice yelled from behind. A fisherman rushed up, yelling and spraying spit everywhere. Fai stared at him like he was a madman.

"Did you hear me? Get out, or the merpeople will claim you!" Fai began madly stroking back to the shore. He didn't seem to be making any progress. He felt the pull and tighten of a rope around his ankles, and his eye widened in fright. He had only the briefest second to take in air, before being dragged down.

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Panic welled inside of the wizard's chest.

_I'm going to drown! I need air!!_

He clawed uselessly at the water, trying to swim back to the top. He was only pulled down faster. The pressure made his ears hurt.

Quickly coming to a decision, he twisted around, and began to try and free his feet. Surprising himself, he actually did, and began to madly swim back to the surface. A scream, much like his own, exactly like his in fact, met his ears, and he knew that whatever had caught him was coming back for him.

A black figure appeared out of nowhere, a glint of something long and sharp in its hands. Bubbles of silent terror erupted from Fai's mouth, and he spun to avoid its attack. The thing kept going, bringing its blade down on the strange fish chasing him. Fai could sense strongly what he knew was blood, and tried to not retch. He kept swimming, trying to get to the surface and fresh air.

Hands wrapped around his chest, pulling him up, and he began to struggle. It was so dark in the water, he could barely see anything! What if this was the merperson?

_Why is it pulling me to the surface?_

His lungs were burning; he only had so much air left…

The merperson screamed again, yelling in Fai's voice

"Mine! He's _my_ human!"

Fai looked down and was barely able to make out the fish-woman, who was quickly getting closer, even through the veil of blood from across her cheekbones. Kurogane had clearly sliced her face open. With a burst of paranormal speed, the creature shot up towards them, latching on to Fai's ankle. The mage kicked out with the other foot, smacking her hard in the nose. The merperson shrieked one last time, and sped off.

The world suddenly went dark, and Fai went limp.

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Kurogane strained with the effort. It was hard enough dragging a struggling idiot back up to the surface, but now that idiot had gone and passed out, making his job even harder. He began running out of precious air, and just when he was about to ditch the mage and swim up for air alone, his head broke the surface.

"Gak! Here! I got him!" he yelled over to the fisherman and the kids on the shore. Another person had appeared, a woman, the fisherman's wife, perhaps?

The ninja drug the mage ashore, laying him in the sand. Sakura and Mokona rushed forward, crying.

"Fai-san!" The woman quickly moved her out of the way, kneeling in front of Fai. She placed both of her hands on his chest, where his lungs were located, and swept them up, to and past his neck. A stream of water raced out between his lips, and the man began silently hacking and coughing.

"Fai-san!" Sakura cried, appearing on his other side. "Fai-san! Say something!"

The man's eye opened, and he tried to speak. Nothing came out except for a rush of air.

"_I'm sorry."_

Sakura read his lips, and then frowned sadly.

"What for, Fai-san?"

"_I can't speak. The creature stole my voice."_

Sakura looked over to Syaoran, tears in her eyes. He rushed over, eyes full of concern. Fai had fallen asleep by then, exhausted from his dive. Kurogane growled, picking up his cloak and headpiece up from the sand where he had dropped them earlier. The fisherman walked up to him, staring into his red eyes.

"Not many have ever dared to dive in and save someone from a merperson like that, boy."

Kurogane just shook water out of his hair. The man chuckled.

"Strong silent type, eh?" Syaoran rose and walked over to him.

"Sorry for disturbing you, sir. My name is Syaoran, that is Kurogane, Sakura, Mokona, and Fai." He said, pointing to each person as he said their name. The man shook his hand.

"Name's Hans. And this," he walked over and wrapped an arm around the woman's shoulders "Is my beautiful wife, Ariel."

"Pleasure to meet you all, even under these…strange circumstances." She said, smiling.

"You guys look like you could use a place to stay." Hans said

"How's about you come with us back to our place? We have spare rooms, food, all that stuff."

"Thank you, we would like that very much." Syaoran said.


	2. Mute

Fai awoke on a fluffy surface, eyes staring up at a white canopy. He sat up and looked around him, noticing that he was in a bed room. A dying fire was crackling in the fireplace, and he crawled out of his bed to welcome it. Looking down at himself, he noticed that he was no longer wearing his shirt and gloves, but instead a loose cotton tunic. It hung over his pants, still damp and smelling of sea salt. His boots were over by an armchair, along with his coats, shirt, gloves, a sleeping Mokona, and a new outfit. He placed a log in the fire, and then sat before it, warming his hands and toes.

_I wonder where I am. Where are the others?_

He decided to have a look around, and changed into the new outfit, walking out of the room and down a hall with the sleeping pork bun in his arms. He stopped at the landing before the stairs, taking in the delicious smells of food. He went down looking around as he went. The home was full of all things seaworthy; old ship wheels, wooden figureheads, lines and flags. He stopped at a figurehead, tracing a pale finger along the wooden face of the woman.

"Fai-san!" Sakura cheered from the upper floor, rushing down to greet him.

"How are you feeling?"

"_I'm fine, Sakura-chan." _He mouthed to her. She smiled warmly.

_Though I wish I still had my voice._

"Ariel-san has made food. Let's go and eat, alright?" Fai nodded; he was starving.

"She's going to be making a feast for all of us tonight!"

A meal of biscuits, bacons, eggs, and the like met the two travelers as they entered the room. Mokona quickly awoke to the smells and joined Hans, Kurogane, and Syaoran, who were already wolfing down what was in front of them. Ariel was politely picking at her own plate. She smiled when they entered; rising to get places set for them.

Sitting down again and serving food, Ariel began to ask questions.

"So, how long have you been here?"

"Since last night." Sakura answered. Syaoran, after swallowing his food, cut in.

"Have either of you seen or heard of a strange power source, or feather?" he asked. Hans nodded.

"Legend tells of how the merpeople received a strange power during a storm, about a century ago. They've been powerful wizards ever since. They've done strange things, but nothing too bad. Usually they just kill swimmers at night. Your friend is the first to have their voice stolen." Kurogane glared at Fai, who smiled back.

"_The feather could be controlling them or something. I wouldn't have used my magic anyway." _He mouthed to the ninja, who just glared again before turning back to his food. Hans watched all of this with a blank face.

"Can you use magic?" he asked, amazed. Fai nodded.

"Well, you're just full of surprises, aye? That mermaid must've really liked you or something. You weren't even near the water when it started stealing your voice. Or maybe it's something else." He laughed darkly. Fai stared at him with a wide eye.

"Your friend filled me in on what happened." Hans explained, shaking his head in Syaoran's direction. Fai nodded.

"Why would a mermaid be interested in a voice?" Syaoran asked.

"They just like them I guess. No one knows why exactly."

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Everyone finished their food, and Syaoran and Sakura and Mokona helped Ariel clear the table. Fai slinked away, going into a separate room, hoping to be alone for a while. He didn't notice the ninja following him.

Inside the room was a piano. The mage looked at it, smiling. He approached it, running a finger along the keys and plucking a few notes.

He still couldn't play, but he loved the sound; so serene and peaceful. He closed his eyes and sighed silently, letting his mind wander.

Careful to not make any noise, Kurogane walked in the room, leaving the door open, and leaned against the wall under a painting of a violent shipwreck at sea. His gaze was on the mage, watching him.

"That idiot is just going to keep smiling; and never let anyone in. Why? What is he hiding now?" He sighed silently, and the mage stiffened, finger poised over another key.

_Who…?_

"Shit." Kurogane thought

Fai whipped around, eye wide until he saw who was there.

_Just Kurogane…probably is trying to get a question out of me or something._

He smiled, waving softly. The ninja rolled his eyes.

"Why did that fish have your voice?" he decided to ask. Fai stared at him blankly. Kurogane glared out the window.

"The mer-thing," he added. Fai then frowned.

"_She stole it! What could I do about that?" _He mouthed. Kurogane hadn't seen his reply, so the mage began tapping a key madly to get his attention. He then repeated his words, and the ninja shrugged.

"I'd fight to get back what's mine if it were stolen, not just sit around." He said gruffly, and then left without another word, shutting the door behind him. Fai glared slightly at the spot where the man had been. He stalked over to a window, peering out.

_Just a short drop, good._

He grabbed a tailcoat off a rack and quickly pulled it on before cracking the window open, and leaping out. He needed some time to clear his head. He took off at a quick pace.

Sakura glanced out the window in front of the sudsy sink full of dishes.

This place is so pretty, don't you think?" she said to Syaoran, smiling, looking back at him and handing him a clean dish. He smiled back, gazing out the window. He caught a glimpse of a blond figure darting through the trees, and nearly dropped the dish. Mokona rescued it and began to dry it.

"Fai-san!" Syaoran cried out.

"What?" Sakura asked, looking confused.

"Nothing, Princess. Wait here, I'll be right back."

Syaoran walked out the front door, following the wizard. Sakura sighed, quickly finishing up the dishes before walking off to find Ariel to see if there was anything else she could help with. She had heard earlier, along with Syaoran, that she was planning on making a feast for dinner later that night. She could probably use all the help she could get.

"Let's go help Ariel, Moko-chan, alright?"


	3. Sea Tour

Fai eventually arrived in a little town. He quickly noticed that there was a rode leading up to the house he had just left; if he would've used it, he could've gotten here a lot faster. He shrugged, and began walking around, taking in the sights.

"Fai-san!" a voice called out from behind. Fai's shoulders slumped, and he ignored him, instead walking down an alleyway between two taverns. Taverns… He smirked. He'd have to visit them later.

Syaoran ran up to him, stopping quickly. Fai didn't turn around to greet him, but scowled ahead of him, shoulders stiff. Syaoran peered around him to see a sign posted on a wall ahead of them.

"SEA TOUR: GET TO MEET A REAL MERMAID! CHEAPEST PRICE AROUND."

Fai turned around to face the boy, a glint in his eyes as he noticed that the he had his sword with him.

"_How about we go hunting?" _He asked. Syaoran stared up at him.

"Fai…" He started until Fai waved a hand in his face to shut him up.

"_I'm not going to kill it, just see if it will come to me so I can take my voice back."_

Syaoran sighed, smiling. "Fine. Just don't kill it." Fai nodded.

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"I can't believe this world has mermaids." Syaoran said to Fai as they boarded the wooden ship. Fai shrugged. He hated fish. A crewmember walked over to greet them.

"Welcome to the _Seeker_! You boys are here for the mermaids, right?" They nodded, and the man continued.

"Aye, you're in for a surprise. We have heard them singing lately!"

"What happens when they sing?"

"We have a higher chance of spotting more than one!" Fai grinned.

"Have either of ye heard of the mermaid, Maecenas?" The man continued. Syaoran shook his head.

"Mer_man_, right? Isn't that a man's name?"

"Well, yeah, but she calls herself by that name… She's the prettiest fish you'll ever see, if you're lucky." Fai looked doubtful and the man laughed.

"She looks a bit like you, sir." Fai's eye widened.

"Tall, pale skin, pale hair. She likes to visit the ships; she's the only one that does. She's quite the talker too, though that's not like you at all. Quiet as a mouse you are, sir."

A fellow sailor waved to the man, calling him over. "I need help with these ropes, Hayden. You can talk later." Hayden nodded to Syaoran and Fai and went over to help, and Fai walked over to the bow as the ship left the harbor, smelling the salts as the breeze ruffled his hair. He shrugged the coat off as the sun warmed his shoulders. Syaoran started talking to the rest of the guests, trying to learn more about the mermaids. The boy stopped short as an eerie yet beautiful sound filled his ears.

"Oh! They've started already!" A woman cried out, clapping her hands in a pair of overly- priced gloves. Her companion nodded.

"Indeed! And we've only been out for a few minutes!"

Another voice began singing, making Syaoran start. He ran over to Fai, whose hands were gripping the side of the ship with a death grip as he gazed into the water. The voice grew louder, and something began to claw up the side of the ship. The guests quickly ran to the other side of the ship, eager to see.

"Maecenas!"

Fai gazed at the creature. She was beautiful, except for the gash across her face. She locked her gaze on him, smiling. Quickly waving her hand at her body, she became a human in a long white dress. She boarded the ship and smiled over to him, ignoring the rest of the humans.

"My human. Mine."

"You've stolen his voice!" Syaoran said. Fai nodded.

"_Give it back."_

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Sakura frowned as she helped prepare the feast. She had heard the singing voices, since they weren't that far from the water, and could easily pick out Fai's.

"No," She thought "It's not him, it's the mermaid!" She frowned, turning her attention back to the preparation. Syaoran and Fai would be hungry when they returned; the least she could do at the moment was help with the food.

"Hey," Kurogane growled, stomping into the kitchen. "Where is the kid?" Mokona looked up at the man before answering. "He's out with Fai." The ninja huffed angrily.

"What's the idiot mage doing out? He's caused enough trouble."

"I don't know, checking out the sights?" Ariel smiled.

"You know, Kurogane, you don't need to worry over them. They'll be fine, I'm sure."

Kurogane glared at her, annoyed. "I'm not worried; they just need to say something before they run off." He quickly left before the woman could reply.

Kurogane never worried about anything or anyone. Ever.


	4. Goodbye

Maecenas snapped her fingers, freezing the humans on the deck except for Fai and Syaoran.

"You don't know just how important you are to my kind. Your voice alone has a strange power to it. Almost like Kai." She ended in a whisper that only she could hear.

"My people are desperate. Our leader has ruled over us like a dictator for almost a century, laying waste to our cities and killing thousands. She killed our greatest warrior and leader, making victory almost impossible."

Fai stared at her. _"I'm not a warrior, or a leader, just a mage. I can't help you."_

Maecenas glared at him. "You are our only hope. I'm not letting you escape again." She looked around quickly before facing him again, a smug expression on her scarred face.

"That man in black isn't here to save you-" Syaoran jumped at her, sword out and ready to slash her to pieces. She froze him with a snap of her fingers and he fell to the deck. Her eyes bored into Fai's eye as she raised her hand to him until he held his up in surrender.

"_I do not use my magic. I can't help you."_

"I didn't come all this way to fail," She growled, lowering her hand. "You're coming with me even if I have to drag you there."

_How could she drag me through water? _

"_I can't go with you. I'll drown."_

"Do I look stupid? I know what I'm doing."

Maecenas raised a hand to him and fired a spell. Fai jumped to the side to dodge it, but it followed his movements. He jumped again and again, but failed to escape from the spell. It shot into his back in a flash, and for the second time in his life, he felt like his body was on fire. His mouth opened in a silent scream and he fell to the ground. Syaoran saw the whole ordeal, but was unable to even lift a finger to help as the man began to change painfully into a merman.

"I'm sorry, Fai-san!" He thought.

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The pain quickly subsided, leaving Fai feeling slightly numb all over his body and too stunned to stand. He looked down at his hands; they were webbed. Shakily, he looked at his legs, or at least what used to be his legs. A deep blue, almost black, tail had taken their place. The magic had destroyed all of his clothes except for his shirt, but he pulled off anyway. Maecenas tossed something at him. It stopped and hovered in front of him before vanishing into his throat. Fai coughed, and then gasped.

_My voice!_

"Happy?" She said; her voice now more feminine. "You have your voice back. Now-"

"Release all of these people!" Fai yelled, causing her to stop her speech. Maecenas stared at the crowd. Rolling her eyes, she walked over to the wheel, and the man behind it.

"I left this one alone, and the captain. They'll be able to get them all back safely. The spell on them will wear off soon anyway. Not that I care. My mission is only to get you to the Aqua polis, which I will do without fail."

"I'm not going!"

_Damn it, I never learned transfiguration spells like this! I can't reverse it!_

Fai swiftly crawled over to the side of the ship and pulled himself up until he had one arm hooked over the edge. Maecenas walked a few steps towards him, her back to the humans. The captain silently appeared from his cabins, pistol in hand. He walked up to the woman until he was a foot away.

"Miss Maecenas," He drawled, "You know that you can visit the ships and the people whenever you wish, but you are not allowed to steal one!" Maecenas turned and glared at him.

"He is the only one who can save my home!" She yelled in his face, freezing him with a spell. Fai frowned.

"I do not use my magic!" He said. "I am unable to help you."

"What if I took him with me?" The mermaid said slyly, pointing to Syaoran. The spell had begun to wear off on him, as well as a few other people who scampered away and he pulled himself into a sitting position.

"If I held him hostage, until you used your magic… That might make you change your mind."

Fai glared, and his eye flashed a golden color. The nails of his free hand grew into claws, and he pushed off from the side of the ship into her, knocking her over. He held his claws at her throat, fury in his eye. Maecenas laughed, snapping her fingers. Fai went stiff for a moment, but shook it off.

"It'll take more than that… to stop me."

"Really now?" She hissed.

"Fai-san!" Syaoran yelled, running to help. Maecenas snapped her fingers at him, and ropes appeared, wrapping around the boys arms and feet. His sword was now useless, but he held on to it anyway.

"Syaoran-kun!" Fai retracted his claws and crawled over to him to free him. His webbed fingers made it difficult. Beads of sweat appeared on his forehead.

"Are you alright, Fai-san?" Syaoran whispered.

"I'm fine… Syaoran-kun..."

"He's drowning." Maecenas said darkly. "My kind can only stay above the water for so long…"

"What?"

Fai collapsed to one side, his eye closed.

"Save him, Maecenas!" Syaoran yelled. She smiled grimly.

"Good-bye then."

Maecenas hoisted the merman over her shoulder and went to the edge of the ship. In one swift motion she transformed back into a mermaid and jumped overboard, taking Fai with her.

_AN: CLIFFHANGER! The story is starting to take a different turn, but it'll still work! Thanks to all who have fav'd and alerted this story! You rock!_

_DP_


	5. Separate Ways

Syaoran stared at the spot where Maecenas vanished with Fai. The last thing he had seen of them was the emerald flash of the mermaid's tail. Around him, the people began to move around. The captain helped free him from the rest of the ropes.

"Maecenas has been acting strange lately, hasn't she?" a boy whispered. His brother shoved him roughly.

"What was you're first clue?"

Hayden walked up to the captain, picking up a stray coat along the way.

"Sir, I believe we should return to the docks now."

"Right. Tell Jack to steer us back."

"Aye, sir."

"And make sure the guests are alright. I'd like to make this black mark as grey as possible. White, if I can."

"Sir?"

The captain waved his hand wearily. "Go tell Jack to take us back." Hayden sighed, handing the coat to Syaoran.

"Aye."

"Sir, is there a way to get Fai-san back?" Syaoran asked, staring at the coat.

"I don't know. I'll do what I can."

A strange splash in the water caught their attention, and they turned to look. Syaoran looked shocked, but then smiled softly.

"Fai-san!"

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Fai awoke with a shock after he hit the water, sputtering and gasping as water rushed in through gills on the sides of his neck. His vision quickly cleared and he looked around. Maecenas released her iron grip on him after speeding down in the water, trying to put as much distance between them and the ship. She smiled at his expression of surprise. Fai's hands flexed, and he swatted the water with them. The small action brought him a few inches closer to the surface. Two more mermaids swam out of the shadows to greet them.

"Maecenas! Are you alright?"

"You were gone for awhile and-" The speaker stopped and stared at Fai. She blushed, making her face as pink as her hair, and quickly looked back at Maecenas. "Who is he?" She whispered. "He's cute!"

"His name is Fai; he's going to… SWIM AWAY?" She yelled as Fai shot off at breakneck speed for the surface.

_Almost there!_

Fai leapt out of the water with a noise of surprise, saw the _Seeker_, and flipped back in quickly. A scream from below him told him that the mermaid wasn't happy at all. He quickly swam for the ship.

"Fai-san!" Fai smiled.

"Syaoran-kun!" Fai cheered. He stopped before he ran into the ship. He had only a short amount of time before Maecenas caught up with him.

"I'll find a way to get the feather back, so go and tell the others, okay?" Syaoran nodded.

"Be careful, Fai-san. I'll find a way to get you back, I promise."

"I don't think the humans here use magic. I may have to figure out the spell myself."

"I'll still do what I can."

"Thank you, Syaoran-kun."

"I'm worried that I'll lose the ability to communicate if I get to far away from Mokona." "We'll call Yuuko. She'll think of something"

"Alright."

A pink head popped out of the water next to Fai. "You need to be more careful. Maecenas was about to kill you on the spot." The mermaid said in a soft voice.

"I don't think she'd really want to do that, not after what she told me… Where is she?"

"My sister is holding her down there."

"Sister?"

"Yes. Akitla is my sister. I am Aithne"

Fai went back under the water to take a few breaths. Aithne followed. They both heard the screaming fury of Maecenas.

"I can't go with you, you know." Fai said. "I vowed to never use my magic again."

"I kind of figured."

"I need to go there to get something back though."

They stuck their heads back above the surface. "What polis are you from?"

"I'm not from any of them."

"You have to! Are you on the run from yours?"

"I was a human until a few minutes ago."

Fai smiled sadly at her shocked expression, waved one last time to Syaoran and the rest of the people, and dove back into the sea.

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Sakura was waiting alone at the docks when Syaoran returned in the afternoon. She frowned when she saw only him.

"Where is Fai-san?" She looked down at the coat in his arms: it was Fai's.

"He's found a way to get the feather. He'll be back."

"But _where_ is he? I made some special food for him, since this world eats a lot of fish and he doesn't like fish, at least raw ones…" She sighed. She decided that she'd find out later. "I heard the mermaids singing earlier. They were nice."

"Yes."

"I could hear Fai's voice. It was the mermaid, right?" Syaoran nodded.

"Boy!" The captain yelled. Syaoran and Sakura walked back to the ship.

"Yes, sir?"

"Come aboard. I need another word with ye. You can bring the miss with ye. It won't take long."

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Kurogane glared at Syaoran when he entered the house with Sakura, his arm draped around her shoulders to comfort her. The princess looked like she was about to cry.

"What happened?" The ninja asked. He thought for a moment that the stupid mage had been run over by a horse, but he quickly knew that wasn't the case. The kids would be crying their eyes out if that had happened.

"Nothing." Sakura said, hiding her unshed tears bravely. "Let's eat."

Ariel appeared from a doorway. "Perfect timing! The meal is ready!"

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Hans stared hard at Syaoran. "You went out today?" He growled.

"Y-yes." Syaoran looked down at his plate nervously. Hans laughed.

"I just smell the sea on you, that's all." Mokona jumped on the boy's head.

"You smell salty, Syaoran!" Mokona cheered randomly, causing Hans and Ariel to laugh. Kurogane studied the boy carefully.

"He's barely touched any of his food." He thought, glancing at the plate and then out the window. "And Fai hasn't returned. Something happened on that ship. That damn mermaid is behind this."

AN: Two new characters! ^^; I actually did some research to name them (and Kai).

Aithne _"_Fire_" _

Akitla "snow falling on water"

I wanted the whole opposite's thing in the names (fire and water); this was as close as I could get with the names still sounding like they'd be given to sisters. Kai means "the sea".


	6. I don't know what to do

Aithne led Fai to a small cave surrounded by glowing coral, quickly ushering him inside. The opening was so small though, that Fai cut his shoulder on a jagged orange branch. His head was already past that spot, and he never noticed how his blood seemed to melt into the animal. Aithne zipped in after him, having more practice with a tail than he ever would.

"You may need to hide in here for a while. Maecenas has a temper like no other."

"I noticed." Fai smiled, his hand pressing over the small wound. The mermaid smiled kindly and handed him something to cover the wound. "Feel free to look around; just don't leave this cave." With that, she swam out and away.

Fai frowned and shrugged, going over to a shelf carved into the wall. It was full of scrolls covered in words. Intrigued at the fact that they all remained intact in the water, he pulled one off and began examining it. His eye widened in disbelief.

"I can actually read this?" He thought; a lost expression on his face.

_I'll just keep that my little secret for now._

The mage grinned evilly, pulling several more scrolls down onto his lap to read. They were all full of new magic spells, including transfiguration, and he quickly found what he was looking for.

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Akitla silently swam over the cave where Fai was, hiding outside the pool of light produced by the coral. Her long dark hair and tail made it all the easier to remain concealed. She had seen and heard it all; Aithne leading the merman in and quickly leaving. At least she thought she did.

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By the time Aithne returned, Fai had put back all of the scrolls with transfiguration and attack magic; leaving a single one in his lap. He looked up and smiled at her.

"Marvelous stuff, don't you think?" Aithne said, gesturing to the scrolls. Fai nodded and she continued. "What are you reading about now?"

"I have no idea." He said smoothly, months of practice behind his words. Aithne chuckled.

"Right, I forgot. Humans can't read our language. Here, let me help you."

She swam over to his side and began quietly reading. Fai already knew what it said, it was only the introduction to all of the spells that the following spells boasted of; it had been the first scroll on the shelf.

"Hmm, this is just an old almanac. Who cares about the weather that happened a century ago, right?" She laughed, and Fai joined.

_Liar. But, why?_

"I'm sure Maecenas has cooled off by now. Why don't you go and look for her?"

"Alright."

"Just follow the school of fish past the coral; they'll show you the way."

"…Okay."

Akitla swam away as they emerged from the cave, her sister coming out first to give her more time to get away. Fai swam out carefully this time and went left, following the bright group of fish quickly. Akitla shot to the cave, wrenched an orange branch free, and swam to catch up with her sister.

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Hans yawned, pushing his empty plate away heartily, leaving the dining room with his wife. The others had already gone to bed.

"Another amazing meal, Dear. Always the best!" He said, giving her a kiss. Ariel smiled. "Sakura and Mokona helped too."

"It's a shame Mr. Fai couldn't enjoy it with us. Where is he?"

"Syaoran said that he found a way to get the feather, and that he may be out for a while."

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Kurogane frowned at Syaoran. It was dark in the room, and Syaoran was in a separate bed on the other side of the room, so the frown went unnoticed. "Hey, kid."

"Yes?" Syaoran asked.

"Did the mermaid catch him?" The silence from Syaoran gave him away, and the ninja sighed angrily.

"Did it drown him or something?"

"No." The boy sighed. "She turned him into a merman."

Kurogane's eyes widened.

"I followed him onto a ship today. Fai-san wanted to see if he could meet the mermaid and get his voice back."

"And?"

"Well, he did meet her, her name is Maecenas, and he did get his voice back. He fainted after being on deck too long as a merman, and Maecenas jumped back in the sea with him. He came back a few minutes later and told me that he'd find a way to get the feather back."

"So, the fish people have it?"

"I guess."

Later, when he was sure the rest of the home was sound asleep, the ninja crept out and down to the docks.

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Fai eventually found Maecenas outside a stone house. She was calmed down, but still upset at the fact that he briefly went missing. She sighed.

"I'm too tired to deal with this right now. Just go inside. I have an extra room you can sleep in." She pointed to the doorway of what was clearly her home. Fai swam in.

His room, like the rest of the home, was decorated with salvaged items taken from shipwrecks. There was a window with an amazing view, but he ignored it for the moment. The bed, down to the blankets and many pillows, was man-made, and clearly charmed to protect it from the water around. There was a table with a large vase overflowing with flowers hidden in the shadows. The chest at the end of the bed, he found after searching, was full of robes, coats, and jackets, which were also charmed. He pulled a long navy robe on and crawled into bed.

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Maecenas peeked into his room later to check on him. Or to just check that he hadn't tried to escape.

She hoped that he never tried to open the window. She'd nailed it shut.

When she looked in though, she relaxed. He had already fallen asleep. She smiled.

"He sleeps face down. Odd." She thought, before swimming away to her own room, locking the door behind her.

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Fai breathed out a sigh of relief, sending bubbles to float up to the ceiling. He had seen Maecenas check in, and mentally gave himself a point. He had stuffed a few pillows under the blankets and placed some of the strange pale sea flowers where his head would have been. Already knowing that an exit via the window would be too obvious, he took off the robe and slipped through the door and out of the home.

"The whole polis seems to be asleep." He said, looking around and then up. Once again, the merman shot for the surface. Fai could make out where the moon was after a minute of swimming, and knew the surface was close. Having difficulty stopping after a fast speed, the blonde flipped out of the water. _Again_. He fell back in and stuck his head out to see where he was. Fai was close to the docks, and able to make out a few people here and there scattered across the dockyard. He decided that it'd be better if he went for one that was alone, rather than a group of them, and swan towards the body sitting alone at the end. The merman wanted someone to talk to, not that he'd really even say anything.

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Kurogane looked up at the sound of something in the water. It sounded odd, but he chose to ignore it.

"It's almost daybreak. I better return." He thought, and stood up to leave. A soft voice called out at his departure.

"Kuro-puppy! Hey!" The ninja growled before turning around and looking in the water.

"What the hell have you been doing, baka?"

"I was in the aqua polis, but snuck out when they all fell asleep." Fai said slyly. Kurogane looked surprised at the gills on the man's neck.

"The kid told me what happened." Fai's face fell for a moment, but he quickly plastered another smile on. The ninja noticed this, and frowned.

"You're hiding something?" He demanded. Fai shrugged.

"So I can't come and visit my favorite ninja? How harsh."

"Don't change the subject. Why did you come here?"

Fai looked past him into the distance, where the rest of the group was sleeping. He sighed, and ducked back under the water. Kurogane wanted to yell at the thin man, force him to come back up and talk. He sure as hell was not leaving until he got some answers. Fai showed his face again. His eye held a lost look, and he lifted a webbed hand up to cover it momentarily. "I don't know what to do." He said in a small voice. The ninja's face softened, but his eyes remained angry.

"Do they feed you? Do they even eat?" He asked, trying to clear his anger. Fai laughed humorlessly, still keeping his face hidden.

"I don't know. It's not like I have an appetite anyway."

Kurogane wasn't surprised at how quickly Fai's mood had fallen. He could tell that he'd been keeping his emotions bottled up, and still was. He had almost gotten him to open up and actually _talk_ for once in Tokyo, until Kusanagi and Yuto barged in. Maybe Fai would talk now.

"Are you trapped as a…?" Fai looked up at him.

"Merman? No."

"You're not going to try and free yourself?" Kurogane studied the man's face. Fai looked away.

"No, not yet at least."

"The princess is worried about you."

"I'm sorry." Footsteps approached. Kurogane tensed, knowing that if Fai got the chance, he would run away again.

"What is going on, anyway? Why all this fish magic?" He asked. Fai sank a little in the water, as he also noticed the new person. He didn't answer.

"Hey, sir." A gruff voice said. A hand landed on Kurogane's shoulder, dragging his attention away from Fai. He looked up to see this world's version of Kusanagi.

"This part of the docks is closed at this hour. I'm going to have to ask you to leave." Kurogane glared, and shut his eyes angrily when he heard the sound of escape in the water.

"I was just leaving."

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Fai shot down in the water, frowning sadly. True, he really wanted to talk, but how could he? He already had Sakura upset; telling them about how confused and worried he was would only make it worse.

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Fai spirited through the stone home, back to his room, pulling the cloak back on. He wrenched the flowers out of the bed and returned them to their vase, threw down the extra pillows, and collapsed on the bed, hiding his face in the feather down.

_I don't know what to do._


	7. Malachite

Fai awoke again to the sounds of voices. The polis was awake. He quickly pulled on his cloak and left to go join it.

The voices grew louder as he swam out of the house and into the sun. He was surprised that the sun's rays could even reach the polis. Looking around, Fai noticed all the stares he was receiving.

"A new citizen, perhaps?" One whispered. Fai waved, smiling brightly.

"Hello! Have any of you seen Maecenas?" The merman asked.

"Try over there, in the market. Not that there's anything edible there anymore." Fai nodded, swimming past them and into the market a few hundred feet away. A group of young mermaids grouped together, casting glances at the retreating figure.

"Who is he? I've never seen him before."

"I don't know. I think he just got here."

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Fai quickly noticed the small shop set back in the shadows.

"MAGIC SHOP"

The man smiled and darted in the door.

"She may be in here." He muttered.

As he left the sunshine behind, a strange shadow fell over the doorway, blocking it. Fai turned to look at it, confusion mixed with hostility in his gaze. A webbed hand pressed against the fog, only to find that it was impenetrable. Fai knew what type of spell it was, and how to break it. He chose not to; there wasn't a threat yet. The merman chose to look around the shop. It was full of all sorts of things to aid a common user of magic, but his gaze was pulled to a single book resting on a stand in the middle of the room. He swam over to open it to study the contents. A withered hand emerged from the shadows, slapping his away.

"You don't want to go and touch that, young man." A worn voice warned. Fai turned to face an old citizen of the sea. Her lower half was that of an electric eel. She grinned evilly. Fai blinked.

"What would happen if I did, if you don't mind me asking?" The woman sneered.

"Nothing. Why don't you come over and see some of my other wares? I know one that'll take your breath away!" Without waiting for an answer, she grabbed his arm and pulled him into the back of the store, stopping him at an open shadowbox of jewels and stones by the back door. He could sense the raw dark magic flowing from them. Fai's magic had been ripped in half though, so some of the stones caused him to feel weaker. He tried to hide it, and the woman grinned. She pointed to a green polished stone with pale green streaks set in copper with a matching chain.

"It's malachite. The stone dulls quickly; its magic can only be used once! You seem to enjoy its aura, do you not? Go ahead and take it."

Fai nodded, his eye glazed over. He reached out with a shaky hand to pick up the stone.

_Stop! _

His hand twitched for a moment, about to pick up the malachite.

_Don't touch it! Stop!_

The hand froze; for the moment, Fai had gained control, if only a little. He slowly pulled it back.

"I'd rather not. If you don't mind, please remove your charm from your door and let me leave. I'm trying to find someone- Hey! Stop!"

The woman seized his wrist, jerking it down until his palm was pressed into the face of the stone. Fai gasped as he stared at his hand; the webs between his fingers melted away. He felt his legs return, and only had a second to take in one last gulp of air before his gills sank back into his neck.

"I knew it! A human!" The woman cackled madly as Fai struggled to get away. Her grip on his wrist was like a vice, and she only tightened it. Fai looked around frantically, trying to find something, anything, to save him.

_I can't die!_

The woman stopped cackling, staring at him with bored distaste.

"Calm down, boy!" She barked. "Do you really think I'd kill you? You're much too valuable!" She whistled a sharp staccato note, and her prey went limp. She dragged him into her arms as he slowly sank, studying his face.

"No, I won't let you die, yet. This spell will stop your breathing, but you will still live." The woman stopped and glanced out the window. Her most loyal customer was quickly approaching; of all the times to show up! She quickly hid Fai behind a desk and erased the magic sealing the door as Maecenas swam in.

"Ma'am, how are you?" Maecenas smiled.

"Oh, you know. The usual. Slow business. Citizens lately seem to avoid my shop like the plague; like they think I'll kill them." Maecenas placed her hand on her shoulder.

"Times have been hard, I know. People just don't have the money to spend on magic and spells anymore."

"I wish someone could fix all of this."

"I know what you mean. If only Her Highness would quit laying waste to everything and just rule like she should, we'd all be off a little better." Maecenas sighed.

"Anyway, I came here to ask you something. Have you seen a man? His name is Fai; he's blond, has a dark tail, and a black eye patch."

The old woman blinked.

"I can't say that I have, dear. He sounds new, a friend of yours?"

"Yes, I just met him. He and I were planning on going to a town meeting this evening." She said, slowly looking around the room.

"_I can sense his magic. He was just here."_ She thought, blinking. _"No. He's still here!"_

"Oh well, he'll show up on his own." Maecenas swam forwards, to the back of the store, peering into a display case. She noticed that one of the wares was noticeably duller than the rest. She turned around.

"I think someone used one of your stones, Ma'am."

"Oh, I know. It's alright." Ma'am smiled too sweetly. She swam to the small front window and began to rearrange the items on display. Maecenas frowned. Something was wrong here. She looked back at the stone. The green face was pressed in slightly, as if some weight was forced on it. Maecenas looked to her left, at a huge desk and swam over to it. She nearly screamed. There was Fai, laying on the floor as if in sleep.

"He's a human again! Who did this to him?" She thought. A pale hand lie out, palm facing up. There was a green bruise in its center, in the same shape as the stone, as well as real bruises on his wrist in the shape of fingers. Maecenas shook her head in denial. A shadow fell over the mermaid and Fai, and Maecenas slowly looked up into the eyes of Ma'am.

"I was hoping you wouldn't have to see this, dear. Goodbye." She said, throwing Maecenas against the far wall. The woman cackled, transforming into a taller, younger, more sinister being. The Queen.

"Now, for the human. I'll be taking him back with me; what a prize he'll be!"

"No…" The Queen sneered at her.

"Let me guess! Was _he_ going to be the one who was to defeat _me_? _That_ weak, little _human_? I'm not stupid! I knew you have been leading a secret group of rioters for weeks now. It was only a matter of time until you decided to replace Kai."

Maecenas growled, snapping the fingers of her left hand and sending a spell at Fai. A volley of merchandise slammed into the Queen, followed by several more, until she was buried in it. The spell sank into Fai's chest, and he became temporarily light as air. Maecenas dived to him, picking him up from under his arms, and shot out the door.

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Sakura looked out the window in her room sadly. Memories of what the captain and Syaoran said rang through her mind.

"_I'm terribly sorry about the events of today, lad. My men will search high and low for your friend."_

"_I'm sorry, princess. Fai has gone missing in the sea."_

"I know that my feather may be down there," She said to herself "but is this all worth it? Is it even fair? Fai-san must be suffering, alone down there, and it's my fault." A tear fell out of her eye.

"I'm so sorry, Fai-san!" She gazed sadly at the sea.

"Princess, would you like to come downstairs for awhile?" Sakura gave a start at the sound of Syaoron's soft voice, and she quickly wiped her tears away.

"Okay, Syaoran-kun." They walked down the stairs together. She stopped at a figurehead of a woman; it was the one Fai had been gazing sadly at only days ago.

"I talked with Yuuko earlier." Syaoran said. "She wouldn't give me something to help Fai if he gets too far away from Mokona, only this." He held up a bottle with the pattern of butterflies on it. It held a blue potion.

"She said to 'make sure Fai drinks this when you see him next.'"

"Let's go and wait by the sea!" Sakura said, donning a sunhat. Syaoran smiled. They left through the front door, past Kurogane, who was sharpening his sword, and Mokona, who was dozing in a bed of flowers. The ninja glanced up.

"Where are you two going?"

"The sea, Kurogane-san. We need to give Fai something." Kurogane laughed darkly.

"Like that coward would show his face. I'm coming with you."

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Luck was on their side. They had only been waiting for an hour in the sun, when a pale head appeared out of the water.

"It's a woman!" Sakura whispered. Syaoran nodded.

"Maecenas."

Sakura gasped, running out in the water.

"Fai-san!"

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Maecenas turned herself back into a human when she reached the surface. Fai still wasn't breathing. The feather-light charm vanished however, when his head broke the surface. She looked to the shore, and began wading towards it. A girl ran out towards her, and helped pull Fai to land. Maecenas and Sakura knelt by his side.

Once he was lying on the sand, they all noticed something. Protruding from under his long and buttoned up robe, the fabric stopping just below his knees, were two pale legs. Kurogane drew his sword and held it at Maecenas's throat.

"Did you kill him? Drown him?" The woman pushed the blade away, glaring.

"No, I just saved his life. The Queen tricked him and almost took him prisoner. How she managed to do that is a mystery. Unless she was the shopkeeper all along…" She stopped and noticed the potion in Syaoron's hand. The boy held it out.

"This is for Fai-san." Maecenas took it and opened it, pouring the contents in Fai's mouth. At first, nothing happened. Fai gasped, pulling his bruised left hand to his chest.

"Let me go!" He yelled, throwing a punch with his right hand. He hit the ninja hard in the knee, causing him to lose his balance and fall to his knees. Fai opened his eye at the sound of an angry groan, giving a start.

"Kuro-puppy?" He propped himself up on his elbows. The sun was too bright at first, and he squinted.

"Damn it, idiot. Don't throw wild punches! And that's not my name!" Syaoran and Sakura smiled, laughing. Fai turned and looked at them, smiling.

"Syaoran-kun! Sakura-chan!" The princess flung her arms around him, almost causing him to fall back to the sand.

"I was so worried!" she said, hugging him. "Are you alright?"

"I'm quite alright, Sakura-chan. How are you?"

"I'm alright." She quickly let him go, and he sat up on his feet, hiding them under the robe.

Maecenas glanced back at the sea, where the clouds were darkening and the waves began to churn. The Queen was furious. Her prey had gotten away. Maecenas and Fai wouldn't be able to return to the aqua polis for a few days at least, and even when they did, they would have to do so with extreme caution. She knew that staying with the humans was their best bet for survival, and she quickly shot a question at them.

"Can we stay with you for a while? A violent storm is coming." Kurogane shrugged. He wanted to chuck her back in the water and be done with it. Syaoran spoke up.

"Of course. I need to go and tell the captain something though. I'll meet you back at Hans later."

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The queen had freed herself and swam back to her castle. While inside her private chambers, she yelled in rage.

"No! I had him! He was mine!" She seized a hand mirror and gazed into it. It had been a gift from Maecenas to the shopkeeper. One of its best features was to show the location of anyone, anywhere in the world.

"That woman was a fool to speak his name. Now, he'll fall." She cackled.

"Show me the human, Fai!"

AN: Yay! My longest chapter yet!

Disclaimer: story, plot, and OC's are mine!

The Tsubasa characters belong to the awesome women of CLAMP!


	8. Chapter 8!

AN: Just to clear up any minor confusion… This takes place between Acid Tokyo and Infinity. _Before_ Celes. Fai is only known as "Fai" here, not Yuui. No one knows of his secrets yet here. Sorry if I caused any confusion to you! On with chapter eight! :D

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The mirror crackled to life, and its face began to glow as an image appeared. There he was, her human, with some humans and Maecenas. They were inside somewhere, a home perhaps, talking.

"Mirror, show me more!"

The Queen was presented with images of the house. She saw all of the known exits, and where Fai's room was. She quickly made a decision.

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Fai looked out his window. He had a perfect view of the sea through the clear glass, though its waves fell on deaf ears. The man sighed and began to ponder.

Since he had never really found the feather, it was clear that he'd have to return and get it. Would he be able to bring the others with him to help? No, he decided; the transformation, at least for the first time, was too painful. He didn't want to put the others through that. Maecenas could put herself through it painlessly. She could go with him; maybe even help him sneak in. She _did_ live in the sea anyway. She'd know where to go.

He remembered the shopkeeper. What an insane woman! True, he was terrified when he became a human again at that depth; the pressure alone almost caused him to pass out. Still, he was grateful that she decided to keep him alive. She had said that he was 'too valuable'. Fai rolled his eyes. _Any_ human that was alive that far down in the water would be special. His mind quickly turned to another subject. Magic.

_To use magic or not to use magic? _

He really wanted to say no. But if he didn't, finding the feather and defeating the leader would be difficult. Couldn't he just bring a weapon with him? A bow would be out of the question for obvious reasons, a spear or rod, perhaps? His vampire claws too, _those_ would be an enormous advantage. He yawned. It was already pretty late in the evening by that point, and the others had gone to bed long ago. Maecenas slept in an extra cot in Sakura's room, Syaoran and Kurogane just stayed in the room they had earlier, right next to the stairs, meaning Fai had a room to himself. Mokona was sleeping with Sakura.

"Guess I'd better turn in too." He yawned, changing into his nightclothes and going to bed

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Fai slept soundly. For once, he wasn't having any nightmares. He smiled into his pillow, subconsciously enjoying the warm sea breeze that ruffled his hair…

Fai was immediately awake and alert. He knew that he had made sure that the window was locked tight. The early sunrise warmed the bed, which was pleasant, but he was still worried. Someone must have opened it.

It's too early. The only one who would possibly be up at the crack of dawn would be Kurogane or Hans, but they wouldn't just walk in to open a window and leave.

He crawled out of his bed, stretching and yawning before padding barefoot out the door and down the hall. The door to Kurogane's room was open, probably so the ninja could hear anything creeping past. Fai stuck his head in.

Syaoran was curled up in his bed, sound asleep. Kurogane was in the other. He remained completely frozen as he slept, not moving an inch. Laughing softly, the mage left for the upper floor. When he left the stairs, he could clearly hear the snoring of Hans, proving that he was indeed asleep. Fai frowned, and went back down the stairs. As a last resort, he listened outside the door of Sakura and Maecenas. He could hear two different people breathing calmly in sleep. He sighed and went down another flight of stairs into the living room, where a dying fire greeted him. He added wood to it and smiled when it grew. Fai retrieved a blanket from one of the chairs, and a fire poker from beside the blazing hole in the wall, and curled up on the rug in front of the flames. He kept a firm grip on the poker, and stared into the fire. His gaze became blurred, and before he knew it, his eye had peacefully shut, and he fell into a catnap.

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Mokona bounced down the hall to Fai's room, planning on greeting him. He frowned when he found the bed empty. Sakura walked in after the creature; she was on the same mission.

"Let's look downstairs." She said. Mokona nodded, jumping up on her shoulder. Hans and Ariel were already up and out. Hans went to work, and Ariel went to the market, saying that she wouldn't be back until dinnertime. Syaoran and Maecenas were still sleeping, and Kurogane was most likely in the kitchen, eating. Sakura walked down the stairs to look around, stopping when she entered the living room. Kurogane was standing in the doorway, some bread in his hand and a look of amusement on his face. The princess walked towards him, tapping his arm to get his attention.

"Kurogane-san, have you seen Fai-san?"

"Check the fireplace." Sakura looked past him, and Mokona giggled.

Fai was still there, curled up asleep like a cat.

"Mokona's never seen Fai sleep like that before." The pork bun commented.

"Should we wake him? It's almost noon." Sakura asked. Kurogane shook his head.

"He'll probably stab you to death with that metal rod without realizing it."

"…Why is he down here, anyway?"

"He probably got cold or something." Mokona offered. Kurogane shrugged.

"I heard someone prowling around earlier."

"A break-in?" Sakura asked, her eyes wide with fear.

"No, an idiot who felt like waking up at the crack of dawn."

Fai suddenly stretched, breathing deeply before relaxing again. The spectators watched, wondering if he would wake up. Figuring he wasn't, they continued to talk again, now more softly.

"Mokona thinks Fai got scared of something, and tried to find someone who was awake." Kurogane looked at Mokona sharply.

"That coward has had nightmares almost every night he's been traveling with us. Why would this be any different?" Mokona shrugged. Sakura smiled brightly.

"Why don't we make lunch? Fai always makes food for us after all. This could be like a 'Welcome back' surprise!"

"Ehh?" Kurogane said, confused. Mokona grinned.

"Good idea, Sakura!"

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By the time Syaoran and Maecenas arrived downstairs, Sakura, with the help of an enthusiastic Mokona and grumpy ninja, had prepared a large variety of sandwiches and some iced tea. Kurogane was actually quite talented in the art of sandwich making; not that he'd ever admit it. Syaoran smiled, causing Sakura to blush.

"You all must have worked very hard on this." The boy said. Mokona nodded.

"It's because Fai's still sleeping, and he always makes food, so we gave him a break."

"I was getting sick of all the sweet crap he makes all the time."

"Where is Fai-san?" Syaoran asked. Maecenas and Mokona had already begun to devour their share of the food. Kurogane pointed.

"In front of the fire in the other room."

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Syaoran left to check on Fai. The mage was still asleep, but now he seemed tenser. The boy walked up to him, kneeling to get a better view of his face.

The mage's eye was shut tightly, and he was sweating slightly. The fire had long gone out though. Did Fai have a fever? Syaoran placed a hand on the man's forehead; it was burning up. Fai muttered something, tightening his grip on his makeshift weapon.

"Fai-san, it's me." Syaoran said calmly, removing his hand. Fai stirred, and he opened his eye.

"Syaoran-kun!" Fai said in surprise. "What time is it?"

"Noon."

"Is everyone else up?"

"Yes. Hans and Ariel went out though. The Princess, Kurogane-san, and Mokona made lunch. They said they were giving you a break." Fai laughed, getting to his feet.

"Let's go see what they made then!"

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As the two entered the kitchen, Kurogane glared at Fai, who smiled back.

"Good morning to you too, Kuro-grumpy!" He said brightly and sitting down next to him. He stared at all of the food. "Did the three of you make all of this? It looks great!" Sakura nodded, smiling.

"Dig in!" Mokona yelled happily, stealing a sandwich out of Kurogane's hand. Fai laughed again, picking up one of the sandwiches. He knew that eating them wouldn't give him any nourishment in his current condition, but he took a bite anyway. Kurogane gave him a sideways look.

"Here." He muttered, handing him a sandwich and taking the one that Fai already had away. The mage stared at him in confusion before looking back at the new sandwich.

It looked like all the others, except for the fact that there was also blood between the meat and cheese. Fai grinned at the sneaky ninja, who was back to ignoring him for the moment.

AN: Besides a tragically short and really lame few extra sentences that make up chapter nine, this is really all that I have at the moment! *bangs head on desk*

I'm going to the sea for a vacation with my family in a few weeks, maybe I'll get some ideas there… I should have _something_ typed up before I go though! ^_^

Does anyone else think that Syaoran looked…odd… as an adult? (Chapter 223) I couldn't believe it was him at first; I'm so used to his younger appearance, as he's looked throughout the manga. XP


	9. Two Tails

Syaoran Sakura and Mokona decided to stay behind for the day when Fai, Kurogane, and Maecenas went out after the meal.

"I thought Maecenas said that a storm was coming." Sakura said quietly to Syaoran as they watched them leave. Mokona jumped on the boys head.

"We can tell ghost stories!" It cried happily. Syaoran blinked, walking off the steps of the porch and into the yard.

"It looks pretty clear to me; only a little dark over the sea." He called from next to a tall rose bush. Sakura joined his side, looking to the sea. A warm breeze blew past them, ruffling Sakura's light summer dress.

"Do you think it will storm later?" She asked softly, looking at Syaoran with worry in her green eyes.

"Most likely. Don't worry though, Princess. They'll make it back before then. I promise." He added, seeing her expression of fear. She smiled.

"What do you want to do while we wait for them?" She asked. Mokona jumped up and down madly, causing Syaoran to give a start.

"Let's go to the beach!" Mokona yelled. Syaoran blinked.

"We'll have to leave a note or something telling where we went." He said; Sakura shook her head.

"They won't be able to read it." She said. Mokona was quick to think of an idea.

"We'll draw a picture! Like Big Kitty did!" Sakura smiled, and they rushed in to find a quill and some paper.

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Sakura drew a picture of the three of them, and an arrow pointing to a drawing of the sea. She shyly held it up to show it to Syaoran and Mokona.

"How's this?" She asked. Syaoran smiled.

"Perfect!" Mokona sang. Syaoran took the drawing and placed it on a small table near the front door before following Sakura and Mokona.

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They spent most of the time splashing each other and racing through ankle-deep sea water. When they grew tired of that, Mokona led them in building a sandcastle. With its towers and walls, the castle quickly grew to be as tall as at least five Mokona.

Syaoran plucked a small pink flower from a plant at the edge of the small beach, placing it on the top of a tower. Sakura blushed, causing Mokona to giggle.

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Syaoran looked up at the sky.

"The storm is getting closer." He said.

"Should we head back?" Sakura asked. Syaoran nodded.

"Let's go."

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Fai picked up a drawing. He had to hold it near a flame to see it better; the sun was setting. Kurogane and Maecenas were upstairs looking for the kids. The blond laughed. One of them had drawn out a note; showing how a little puppy and kitty and Mokona had gone to the beach.

"Kuro- puppy!" Fai yelled happily up the stairs. The sound of something breaking met his ears, followed by a stomping of ninja feet. Kurogane stopped at the top of the stairs, glaring down at Fai

"What the hell? That's _not_ my name! Kuro-GANE!"

"But that's no fun!" Kurogane's eye twitched as he fought the urge to jump down to the main floor and run his blade through the skinny man. Fai waved the paper up at him.

"Syaoran-kun, Sakura-chan, and Moko-chan went to the beach!"

Ariel appeared from the kitchen.

"Should they be back by now? It's getting late." She asked. Fai smiled as the front door opened, and the teens and Mokona walked in.

"Hello, everyone!" Sakura said.

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Ariel had made a small dinner since they all had a late lunch.

"Where is Hans?" Mokona asked over a plate of food.

"Hans is still out at work, no doubt." Ariel said. "He has to stay after quite late sometimes. You'll see him in the morning."

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An hour later, every one went their separate ways to go to bed. Kurogane stopped Fai before the thin man went into his room.

"Why did you sleep down there last night?" He asked. Fai smiled. He jerked his arm free of Kurogane's grasp and walking into his room.

"I got cold!"

"That's probably the dumbest lie that I've ever heard. You have a fireplace in your room."

Fai yawned and tried to shut the door. Kurogane stood in the way.

"Kuro-chi, I'm tired. Go away." Fai said in a mock childish tone. The ninja glared down at him.

"What are you hiding now? A nightmare?" He asked. Fai's mask slipped.

"No. Goodnight, Kurogane." The mage said stiffly, shoving the man out of the door way gently and shutting it behind him. Kurogane sighed angrily and stalked off to his room.

Fai closed his eye, leaning against his door. He'd been feeling odd all day, having small blackouts and visions of a dark sea. A constant hum had been in his ears, almost causing him to scream in frustration. He rubbed his temples, groaning. Too tired to even get into his night clothes or close the window, Fai walked over and fell into his bed, instantly asleep.

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Maecenas rushed up to Kurogane before he could get to his door, shoving a large locket with a leather chord around his neck. He stared at her bewildered.

"What is this for?"

"Wear it and don't take it off. Promise me!"

Of course the ninja was going to immediately deny it on the spot; until he saw the look in her eyes. The fierce look. She knew something. He tucked the locket into his shirt.

"Fine." The man stalked into his room, keeping the door open, and Maecenas left for her own room.

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The Queen smiled. It had taken the entire day, but she had done it. She had broken into Fai's mind, finally gaining control when he fell asleep the next night. It was hard to get his dream signature with all the others sleeping at first, so she had woken him up by opening the window. Now, as he fell asleep again, she could easily pick it out.

All she had to do now was wait for the proper moment.

"Lady Ashura," A voice called. Ashura turned her eyes to the open doors to the chamber as Akitla entered.

"What is it?" Ashura drawled, bored from sitting.

The dark mermaid gestured to somewhere beyond the door.

"The arch Seer said that now is the time to begin the dream."

Ashura's face split in a grin.

"Excellent." The Queen turned back to the mirror. "_Aufero!_"

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_Kurogane roughly shook Fai awake._

"_Get up, idiot!"_

"_What is it, Kuro-puu? It's too early!" Fai looked out of his window to see the pale moon. "It's not even morning!"_

"_You need to come with me. There's something at the docks."_

_The mage quickly got up and pulled his robe on, rushing down the stairs with the ninja. They stopped at the front door to quietly open it before running down the sand to the sea. Fai glanced at the man running alongside him. He had never even said what was at the docks. And why would he need him? Kurogane could easily defeat whatever it was. They stopped when they reached the edge furthest out into the sea. Fai looked around, expecting something to appear out of the watery depths. _

"_Kuro-puppy? I don't see anything."_

"_Wait and see."_

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Kurogane hadn't been staring out of the doorway for more than an hour when he saw Fai silently rush past. Without missing a beat, he leapt out of his bed, seizing his sword and following the mage.

"Stay here." He whispered to Syaoran, who had seen the whole thing. The boy nodded.

"Be careful, Kurogane-san."

Kurogane crept down the stairs just in time to see the front door close behind Fai.

"Damn it!" He growled, running out the door and after the man. His pale hair made him easy to follow in the darkness, but still Kurogane almost ran into him when he stopped suddenly. Fai's head turned to the left.

"Kuro-puppy? I don't see anything." He sighed, as if receiving an answer, and looked expectantly back at the water.

Kurogane glared at him, trying to figure out what he was doing. Sleepwalking? No, the mage never did that. He walked up to him, tapping the blond on the shoulder.

"Oi, mage. What are you doing?" He growled. Fai took a step forward, and Kurogane grabbed his arm to yank him back, but Fai still continued to try and walk out over the sea. Suddendly, he stopped, turned around, and faced Kurogane. His eye was wide open and fearfully lost, and his lips trembled before speaking.

"Kurogane, are you sure you saw something?" Fai said blankly. He blinked. Kurogane shook his head.

"What are you talking about? You're the one who ran out the door!"

Fai looked up at him with a desperate look until his spine went stiff and his eye glazed over.

"You saw something? Where? Oh." Fai cried, turning back to the sea. Kurogane leaned past him to peer into the water. Nothing was there. Fai held out two extended fingers at himself.

"Well, fine, Kuro-stubborn! I'll go!" The thin man laughed; his face showing not expression whatsoever as a small tear fell out of his eye. Purple runes shot out of his fingers, wrapping around his small body. His legs vanished, replaced once again by the dark tail.

No longer able to stand, Fai fell into the water, dragging Kurogane down with him. The ninja cried out as he hit the cold water. The locket around his neck fell out his shirt when he went under, and it floated in front of his face, glowing slightly. He stared at it in confusion. Suddendly, the locket shot down into his chest, and Kurogane screamed in pain and surprise. Kurogane clamped his eyes shut, keeping an iron grip on Fai's arm. After another moment of agony, Kurogane felt the pain subside, and he dared a look at himself.

"Damn it!" The merman yelled in frustration, glaring at his new tail.

AN: Whoo! No more writers block! Thanks animeMUSICaddict for the ideas, without which I'd still be stuck in neutral!

Thanks to all who have read and reviewed! You're awesome!


	10. Narrow Escape

"Hey, Fai!" Kurogane yelled, pulling on Fai's arm. The man still seemed to be in some strange trance, swimming quickly. Kurogane quickly caught on how to swim with the tail, but still would not let go of Fai. A city quickly appeared; it's people alive, moving around and going on with their daily lives. They rose with the moon, sleeping under the sun. Fai swam far above them, remaining unnoticed until he reached the doors of the largest building of all: the Palace. Rather than stop him, the guards at the door let him and Kurogane pass immediately. Kurogane tried to remain undistracted by the sights, but it grew to be difficult. The building had been greatly influenced by an ancient style and theme. The walls were covered in reliefs of merpeople, sea life, and humans. High ceilings with open windows and flying buttresses allowed the moonlight to flow in, but glowing rocks and coral also adorned the walls. They produced a color similar to a blazing fire; the same color as the ninjas tail. Suits of human armor gleamed eerily, tall pikes seeming to drip blood from their tips.

Fai swept past these, not paying any attention to them. He remained silent since returning to the sea.

"Mage!" Kurogane protested, tugging on Fai's arm. The man stopped for a moment, looking up to where the surface, and the human civilization, was. He sighed.

"Too bad Kurogane couldn't come." He muttered quietly. The man in question glared again.

"I'm right here. This is starting to get ridiculous. Not that you'd fight it off." He swam in front of Fai, staring into his face. Fai had a lost look in his face, but his eye was darting around, looking at everything. He locked his gaze with Kurogane, briefly gaining control over his mind and body. Fai's trapped arm twitched, and he quickly hissed out two words from behind clenched teeth.

"Help…me…!"

"What?" Kurogane leaned an inch closer, looking into his eye. Fai stared at him desperately.

"You can't escape, Fai." A voice called. Fai's back stiffened and Kurogane's head snapped towards the voice. Aithne swam out to them, her face grim. She glared when she saw Kurogane. She knew the face of every citizen; his face was new.

"How did you get here?"

"I followed this guy. Who the hell are you?"

"Sister, ignore the new man. Remember our task." Akitla said, joining her side.

"Fai, come with us now. The Queen wants to see you." She hissed. She held out a branch of coral in her hand. Ashura had given it back to her for the moment so she could deliver the prize. Gaining possession of another merpersons blood, no matter how small the amount, allowed the new owner control of the body it came from. Since Akitla had been the one to take it, she had the most control with it. With a twist, Fai freed his arm, joining Akitla.

"Aithne, take care of the intruder." Akitla commanded, leaving with Fai. Kurogane growled, unsheathing Souhi.

"You're not a human, so it doesn't matter if you die." The man said, removing his shirt so he could move through the water more easily. He drew his sword back, grinning before unleashing his attack.

"Hama Ryuuoujin!"

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Akitla could clearly hear the sounds of a battle. She swam away swiftly, but still slowly. The woman wouldn't admit it, but she was worried for her sister. True, Aithne was one of the only mermaids in the entire polis and most of the others who could wield a flame that water couldn't destroy. This would give her the upper hand over the man.

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Kurogane yelled as another arc of fire shot at him, throwing him into the wall. His first attack had left the woman wounded. Kurogane had burns across his chest and arms and a cut below his eye. He lay in rubble for a second, stunned, before shooting forward to retaliate. Aithne dodged with another flash of fire.

Kurogane crashed into another wall, but he was prepared this time. He braced himself, landing more delicately. His mind slipped back to a few nights ago, to when he first leapt into the sea to save Fai. The mage had gotten Maecenas to go away after kicking her in the face, after her face had already been cut open by Kurogane's blade. The first tactic was out of the question since he had lost his legs. Kurogane could do much better. He needed to hurry up though, the longer the fight took, the further away Fai and the Queen got.

"Tired already?" Aithne asked, smiling acidly.

"Hell no."

Kurogane sped towards her, preparing his sword for one final attack. Aithne screamed, she didn't see the attack coming.

A slice of steel cut the shriek abruptly off, leaving the room in a strange silence. Kurogane breathed heavily. His strength wasn't weakened, which was good, but he needed to stop and think. He looked over to the pink and red head.

Such a disgusting thought. But it may work.

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Akitla and Fai swam in to the throne room, stopping in front of Ashura. Fai floated above a large red tile set into the stone tiles.

"Here is the human, Highness."

"Clearly. Return to your post." Ashura commanded. Akitla nodded and swam back to the doors to guard them. The Queen turned her gaze to Fai, disgust in her eyes.

"To even _think_ that you are to be the one to defeat me. Maecenas was wrong. It can't be you." She sighed. "Still you are quite valuable! Here you will stay, and even if you are my highest foe… You'll be easier to finish off." Ashura raised her mirror to face her prize.

"_Compes_. _Relaxo_."

Fai's back relaxed, until chains burst from the ground, wrapping around his arms and trapping him. He was still too stunned to fully notice. Shaking his head and blinking back dizziness, Fai looked up at his captor.

"Ashura?"

_She's the Queen?_

"I'm pleased that you know my name, human. You seem to want to ask me something."

"I do. What are you doing to the aqua polis?"

"You don't know? I am crippling it. I'll have an Empire, with myself as the Dictator, very soon."

Fai blinked. Her plan was pretty weak. She was the Queen already. Wasn't that enough? Ashura grinned sadistically.

"Or I could just kill everyone."

"What does this entire thing have to do with-"

"You? Hah! You think that you're the one to defeat me?"

Fai was bewildered. She had already killed thousands, or so said Maecenas.

"Anyway, I can't just leave you chained in my throne room. Imagine how my guests would react!" Ashura reached to her right, where a lever was located. Her webbed hand grabbed it, about to pull it back. Suddenly, Akitla screamed, distracting everyone.

The throne room doors were wide open, with a projectile soaring through them. A pike jammed into the stone floor, with Aithne's head speared through it. Akitla was quickly silenced with steel as Kurogane shot through.

"Kurogane!" Fai cried out, too surprised as grossed out to use a nickname. Ashura did nothing, but stare at her floor where the head was with a look of revulsion. She quickly recovered as Kurogane began to break the chains with his sword by pulling the lever. The red tile sprang to life and began to soar towards the side wall…

Right into a barricade of spikes.

"Kurogane!"

"Shit!"

Kurogane sliced at the chains again, trying in vain to free Fai. His blade was making no progress. The tile wouldn't break either, and there wasn't enough time to try and break the spikes. They'd just end up crashing into the wall behind them anyway.

"Fai! Use your magic, Dammit!"

"I can't!"

"You're going to let both of us die?!"

The spikes were gleaming, as if they were rejoicing at ending two more lives. Fai stared with horror. He didn't want to use his magic, didn't care if he died, but couldn't let Kurogane die! His hands were trapped though; he'd have to use a different type of magic.

"_Hyuuuu_!" Fai whistled, turning the chains to dust. He and Kurogane shot to the Queen and tackled her. Fai snatched the mirror away.

"Kuro-puu! Come on!" Kurogane nodded.

"Follow me!"

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They left the Palace as quickly as possible. Kurogane sighed and sheathed his weapon.

"That was interesting." He said, "What now? Go back in and kill her?" Fai shook his head.

"We have her weapon. We don't need to just yet."

"What's so great about it?"

"I saw her use it."

"You were in some trance. You sure you didn't just imagine it?"

"I'm sure."

Fai swam of into the actual polis, where the citizens were. Kurogane followed half heartily. He really wanted to be back up on the surface. The locket, embedded in his chest, was painful.

"Where are you going?"

"To Maecenas's house."

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Fai swam in the front door, and into the main room. Kurogane followed him in, looking around.

"Are you worried that Ashura will follow us to the surface or something? Is that why we're here?" He asked. Fai smiled.

"No, Kuro-silly! This was closer!"

"Hmph. Liar."

A knock at the front door broke the silence. Fai quickly answered it.

"Hello. Can I help you?" He asked sweetly. The visitor glanced up at him and at Kurogane.

"Uh, where is Maecenas?"

"She's not here right now, can we help you?"

"I'm sure as hell not helping anyone." Kurogane grumbled. The visitor ignored him.

"Well, she missed the meeting…"

"Mmm? What meeting?" Fai asked.

"I'll tell you, if you let me in."

"Of course, come on in!"

The guest swam in, quickly shutting the door behind her. She turned and smiled at them.

"Sorry about that, can't have people hear what I'm about to say. I'm Hokuto, by the way."

"My name is Fai, and this is-"

"Kurogane. Don't listen to him when he calls me by anything else."

Hokuto's eyes widened.

"I knew it! You're the human Maecenas brought to stop the Queen, right? Come with me!"

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Hokuto led them to a cave in the coral reef. Once inside, they met several new faces. Not really that new though. They'd met these people before on different worlds. Subaru waved to his sister.

"Everyone! This is Fai and Kurogane! Fai is the human Maecenas was talking about!"

"He has the Queens mirror!"

"How did you get it?"

Kurogane snorted.

"We just went in and got it."

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Ashura sighed angrily before swimming over to the corpse of Akitla; taking the coral from her lifeless hands. Until she got her mirror back, this would have to do. She was through with the thought of keeping the damn human prisoner.

Next time she got her hands on him, she'd kill him.

AN: k, so I got my dates mixed up… I'm leaving for vacation in three days! X3

I won't be writing or posting while I'm away, but I'll have a PSP with me and I can reply to comments and stuff via that


	11. Mirrors and Meetings

Maecenas knew when she woke up that Fai and Kurogane were gone. Apparently, so did Syaoran.

"I can't just leave them down there alone!" Maecenas thought aloud.

"Go and find them. We'll be fine here." Syaoran said, entering the living room and sitting beside her.

"Waiting and worrying won't help them; and since you know the way around better than they do, you need to be with them." Syaoran smiled at her.

"If only I could. I gave a locket to Kurogane last night. It amplifies my magic, and without it, I can't change my form." She frowned.

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Fai peered into the mirrors face. Had this been the tool that Ashura used to force him back? Definitely. He peered at the opening of the cave, where the moonlight streamed in. Someone sighed behind him, causing Fai to jump.

"You look too weak to be the replacement for Kai." The new figure muttered. Fai smiled, turning to face him.

"Funny, that's what Ashura said."

"Hmm?"

"Nothing." Fai smiled again.

The new person had a piercing gaze and dark hair that rivaled Fai's light hair. His golden and maroon tail reminded Fai instantly of the long red cloaks from Tokyo.

Kamui sighed.

"Who was Kai?" Fai asked to keep Kamui talking.

"A warrior. His real name was Yasha, Kai was just a title. He was an extremely powerful magician, mainly with his voice. His throat was torn out and he was stabbed to death by Ashura herself."

Fai looked uncomfortable, rubbing his neck. Kamui smirked.

"Anyway, the meeting's about to start. Come with me, and bring your friend." Kamui said, glancing at Kurogane. The large group went further into the cave. Rows of stone benches were set up to face a podium. Hokuto zipped behind it, calling the room to order.

"Hey, everyone!" She called out, pounding her hand on the stone surface. The dull buzz of voices reduced to nothing.

"Thank you. As you've all noticed, Maecenas isn't here, so we'll skip her speech." Hokuto beamed across the room to Fai and Kurogane; the latter of the two glaring back.

"I don't really have anything else to say, so give it up for Fai!" Hokuto swam over to Fai, gently nudging him towards the podium.

"Wait! I don't have anything to say either!" Fai laughed, hiding his nervousness as the group smiled and cheered. "Kuro-pon! Why don't you say something?"

Surprising everyone, Kurogane shrugged and went up to speak.

"Alright. Have any of you actually seen the bitch?" He started, referring to Ashura.

"Which one?" Someone called from the crowd, laughing. This lucky fish was able to keep his life when Kurogane chose to ignore him.

"Ashura." Kurogane stated. Not one hand went up, just as he thought.

"You've only heard of her? Right." He sighed, "To be able to defeat the enemy, you need to first _know_ your enemy." He stopped to gesture to Fai, who swam up to him. Kurogane took the mirror and held it up for all to see.

"Your Queen uses weapons that look weak, even though they're not. They'd never save anyone in close range; she seems to only use long distance weapons. Magic weapons. Charmed things like coral are also used." He stopped and waited for questions. Once again, none. His audience seemed to be soaking up every word. They had bright eyes. No one had ever found out so much, and he still had more to tell! Kurogane cleared his throat and continued.

"Ashura has the ability to possess people. They become puppets, and can only break free if they have higher power or extremely strong willpower. Don't expect it to be easy. While inside The Palace, Fai and I confronted two of her underlings; who are now both dead."

"What?" A man cried. "Who were they?"

"Aithne and her sister." Kurogane growled. The crowd eyed his burns with wide eyes. They decided to stay on Kurogane's good side.

"I believe that they were spies to The Queen." Fai muttered next to the ninja. He hid his face behind his hair. They left behind the coral, Ashura could still control him, which worried him.

"How does the mirror work?" Subaru asked. Kurogane shrugged.

"Fai knows. Ask him." The rooms gaze shifted to the smaller man. Fai took back the mirror, turning it over in his hands.

_This mirror does more than just spells!_

Fai's eye widened until he remembered that they were still waiting for his answer.

"She says a spell to it, and it goes to the victim through the mirrors face."

"Can it do other things?" Kamui asked, staring intently into Fai's eye.

"Yes, it can show maps and locations, which is what it seems to be best for. It also shields the holder, and obviously uses magic."

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Subaru left to go check outside the cave. He noticed that the sun was beginning to rise.

The meeting had reached its end.

"Everyone!" He called as he swam back in. "It's time to part. We'll meet back here at the prearranged date."

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Kamui swan back over to Fai and Kurogane after the rest of the rebels had left.

"Both of you left out information to the rest of us. Why?" He demanded, staring into their eyes. Kurogane growled.

"What do you want to know?" He asked.

"How you got into the Palace, or this polis for the matter. Neither of you are even from around here."

"We're both humans." Kurogane interrupted.

"I know that. You aren't from up there either though, are you?" Fai sighed, smiling wearily.

"You travel dimensions?" Kamui asked.

"How the hell do you know that?" Kurogane grumbled.

Kamui explained that he was telepathic and could read their minds. Kurogane pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"If you can read minds, why do you need us to even say it?"

"To confirm it. Fai is clouding nearly all of his thoughts at the moment though, and I can't read them."

Two sets of eyes fell on Fai, who avoided them.

"Nothing new there. He never tells anyone anything."

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Kamui had a strong feeling that almost everything Kurogane told the group earlier about Ashura had been from recent events. Kurogane had, however, put up his own shield in his mind when he learned that Kamui could read his thoughts.

"You never explained how you got into Ashura's Palace." He prodded. Fai was silent as the grave, so Kurogane spoke up."

"We swam in. End of story." He deadpanned. With that, he grabbed Fai by the arm and swam out of the cave and back to Maecenas's house.

Kamui laughed softly at the shocked expression on Fai's face as they left. He hadn't meant to come across as rude to them earlier, but he barely knew them.

How could two humans, who weren't even from this world, even hope to possibly save the polis?

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Fai darted past Kurogane and into the stone home, going straight for his room. Kurogane sighed, following him. He found Fai stuffing his dark robe back into a chest at the foot of the bed.

"Why would you wear that in the water?" He asked the smaller man. Fai shrugged, keeping his back to him.

"I just like it, I guess. And it gets cold in some places down here."

"Hmmph." Fai turned and smiled at him. Kurogane scowled back. He was getting the impression that Fai was trying to hide behind the robe when he went out, like he didn't want to be noticed. Fai's smile fell and he looked away.

"What now?"

"We left the coral back there."

"You worried?" Kurogane studied Fai's expression carefully. The mage really did look worried. Scared, even.

"You don't need to keep that stupid smile up all the time, Fai."

"I don't know what to do."

"Talk to people."

"That's too difficult."

Kurogane sighed. He knew that Fai was in no mood to talk; Fai looked like the stress was finally getting to him and could snap at any moment.

"Stay here."

"Mmhm." Fai mumbled already under the covers of his bed.

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Ashura smiled, staring at herself in one of her many mirrors. She could just use the coral and let Fai come to her, but where was the fun in that? He never did see her change from the old shopkeeper to her current appearance, and the only other person who knew of that secret now was Maecenas, who was conveniently missing at the moment and probably stuck on the surface.

Ha.

Disguising herself as the shopkeeper seemed to be the best option. No, she'd never get close to Fai that way, not after their first meeting.

Perhaps she could get to him through his friend? That Kurogane fellow…

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Back on the surface, Syaoran and Sakura had decided to go to the sea. They told the adults, minus Hans, who was sleeping upstairs after a long shift of work, where they were going. Setting off at a brisk pace, they made it to the docks in a short amount of time, with Maecenas trailing after them.

"Follow me." The woman commanded, climbing into a rowboat. The teens did so, and she began to row them out a distance away from land.

"I can sense Kurogane coming this way, barely." Maecenas explained to Sakura.

"Is he alright?"

A small splash met their ears, and an angry voice.

"You bitch!" Kurogane yelled at the former mermaid. "You knew this was going to happen!"

"What? Did it work?" Maecenas leaned over the oars to him expectantly. Kurogane roared back "Damn right it 'worked'! What the hell are you planning, anyway?"

Syaoran and Sakura stared with wide eyes at the seething man in the water, noticing his gills and webbed hands when he ran them through his hair angrily.

"Kurogane-san!" They cried out happily. "Where is Fai-san?"

"Sleeping." He replied, still glaring at Maecenas.

"Are the both of you alright?" Sakura asked. Maecenas eyed his chest.

"This one's not. Doesn't that hurt?"

Without waiting for an answer, she snapped her fingers, sending a small healing spell to Kurogane. Almost at once, his pain vanished. He blinked and almost thanked her, but chose not to.

He still didn't trust her.

"Is something going on in the polis? How was the meeting?" Maecenas asked. Kurogane sighed and dipped back in the water to breath for a moment.

"It could've been better." He said. "They need to know more about the enemy forces."

"This is the entire reason of why you're there." Maecenas thought, smiling.

"Kurogane-san," Syaoran asked "What happened to Fai-san?"

"He was possessed. The Queen tried to take him." Sakura gasped and Kurogane waved a hand before continuing.

"He's alright. You two need to be on alert though; something's going on down in the water, and could effect the land. It would be better if you didn't come out on the water." The man said gruffly.

"We understand, Kurogane-san." Syaoran said. Sakura nodded.

"Please, be careful." She whispered.

Kurogane nodded, vanishing into the water.

AN: Yay, I'm back from vacation! (Though I wish I was still there, I love the beach!) I hope I did Kamui justice, I was aiming for his personality in "X", but I've never read the manga, and have only seen the movie via youtube. I think it was the movie at least since it's been a while since watching it. I searched as much as I could through Wikipedia though for the bulk of it, and the Acid Tokyo Arc! ^_^

I couldn't use the Kamui from Tsubasa, because he'd be like "Subaru= brother" or something, and Subaru is the one from Tokyo Babylon, another manga I haven't been able to read yet. _ …Plus I took the idea of them as brothers and ran with it in my first fanfic, and I'm trying to not repeat myself too much. I already feel like I'm on thin ice as it is XD

Thanks to all who've read and reviewed! :D

DP


	12. Old Women Meet Kurogane

Once he had returned to the polis, Kurogane decided to look around. Most of the citizens were in their homes asleep, but a few determined people traveled the streets. He swam along, not really planning on ending up anywhere, just to explore. The pain in his chest was gone, finally, and he was happy. Kurogane actually _liked_ being down here; when the fish freaks weren't trying to kill him, that is.

"Kurogane?" A curious voice asked. Kurogane turned to face Subaru, who smiled.

"The next meeting is tonight." He whispered. A crash and yell of rage erupted from inside a store. Subaru was instantly alert, and quickly said his goodbyes before darting into the store.

After coming to the conclusion that there was nothing worth seeing at the moment after the brief encounter with Subaru, Kurogane yawned softly and returned to Maecenas's home. There were only two bedrooms: Maecenas's and Fai's. A bed to sleep in was out of the question then. He trudged into Fai's room and dug through the chest at the foot of his bed until he found a robe that fit him. He pulled it on and went to sleep on the floor. He wasn't going to give the Royal Bitch another chance to use any of her magic. Fai was hard enough to put up with alone as it was.

"Mmph…" Fai muttered, twitching in his sleep. Without opening an eye to the man, Kurogane muttered, "I swear Fai; if you leave I'm going to kill you."

Fai made another noise, but it came out muffled due to the fact that his face was in the pillow. Kurogane relaxed and went back to sleep.

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Moonlight streamed in through the window, splashing across the back of Fai's head. He woke an hour later, yawning and stretching.

Blinking, he slithered out of his bed and went to search for Kurogane. He hoped that the ninja hadn't left for the surface.

Kurogane was in the main room, cleaning his sword.

"I think that you should get that charmed so it will keep better in the water." Fai said.

"Are you offering to use your magic or something?"

"Nope." Fai laughed at Kurogane's scowl. "There's bound to be someone here who will though. The people here can all use magic." He swam to the door.

"Come on, Kuro-rin!"

Kurogane growled, following him out the door and to the market.

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After an hour of searching, they came across the perfect man for the job.

"Hey, he's the old man who sold me my sword." Kurogane thought. The old man grumbled something, snatching the sword away and examining it.

"He'd like a water- sealing charm to be put on this sword." Fai asked, "Can you do it?"

"Life is like a swift current." The old man stated, nodding. Fai blinked, looking to Kurogane with an amused expression as if to get him to say something.

"Uh, yeah." The ninja said. The old man nodded again, and set the spell.

"That'll be one drachma." Kurogane produced a small bag out of nowhere and pulled six oboloi out to equal the amount.

"Is this enough?" He asked. The old man nodded and took the money. He eyed Fai through his eyebrows.

"You look like one who would wield a Qiang. Try this." He thrust a long spear at him. It had a leaf shaped blade, and a red tassel of hair tied just below that. Fai smiled, weighing it in his hands.

"You will be needing it soon, so I won't ask for a price." Fai looked at him, shocked.

"Are you sure?" Kurogane asked, just as surprised.

"Yes. Now go." The old man of the sea smiled, waving them away.

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"A _free_ weapon!" Fai raved to Kurogane as they left the store. Kurogane sighed.

"You can show it off in a bit; another meeting is about to start." Fai blinked and smiled awkwardly.

"Great! Lets go then."

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"Hello, Hokuto." Fai greeted, swimming up to her. The girl beamed, hugging him.

"I like your spear! Is it new?" She asked. Fai nodded.

"Hokuto," Subaru interrupted.

"What?"

"The meeting is beginning."

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Fai floated by Kurogane at the front as Subaru and Kamui gave a joint speech, giving their opinions on the current state of government. He noticed how Subaru had bruises on his arms and chest, and he leaned over to Kurogane.

"Kuro-puu, what happened to him?" He whispered. The ninja scoffed.

"He stopped a member of the Royal Guard from robbing someone of their profits earlier in the market. Why don't you listen?" Kurogane hissed lightly.

Kamui and Subaru finished their speech, and returned to their seats. Hokuto nudged Fai.

"Your turn!" She grinned. Fai smiled back and swam up to the podium. He took a breath in before speaking. His voice was soft at first, but then it grew, flowing to convey emotion to his audience.

"As Kuro-puu pointed out last time, you need to know the enemy to be able to defeat them. But you can't just shoot into a fight and start killing left and right. You need to think: Why is this person a foe?" He stopped to gather his thoughts, and the crowd shifted in their seats. Kurogane's eyes narrowed as Fai began again.

"Keep that thought in your mind on the battlefield." He said strongly, and swam back to his seat.

For the remainder of the meeting, other members of the group spoke and gave their views.

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"Oh, Fai, Kurogane!" Kamui called, stopping them from leaving. Same as the last time, most of the group was already out and swimming back to their homes.

"Hmm, what is it?" Fai asked.

"Since you missed your first meeting, on the night you came here Fai, no one ever told you: We're planning to attack the Queen on the lunar eclipse."

"That's tomorrow!"

"Yes. Will both of you be ready? There will be a ceremony, which Ashura will be attending. That's when we'll strike."

Fai looked doubtful, the complete opposite of Kurogane, who looked like he couldn't wait. Kamui sighed.

"Even with your magic severed Fai, you will still be fine. Your other skills will be more than enough."

Fai gaped at him, he had only let his guard down a little, but it was enough. Kamui could be trusted though. He smiled at him and received one in return.

"Be sure to keep your hands in secret until the absolute proper moment, ok?"

"Sure."

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Fai left the cave with butterflies in his stomach. This wasn't just some normal battle; they were expecting him to use magic!

He had used a little before, and nothing had happened yet; but each time he cast a spell, the strength of his magic grew. It was hard enough to find the one who would activate his curse as it was. But, he had his vampire abilities.

Those would help.

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Ashura rubbed her chin, smirking. A servant stood before her, presenting a new weapon to her. She nodded.

"That will do. Now, leave me, for I am tired and with to rest."

The small mermaid nodded and left, shutting the door behind her. Ashura yawned, smirking as she gracefully swam into her bed. She had to sit on her the throne the entire next morning and listen to her people drone on as the told her of the parade and celebration. It wasn't a big deal to her if she fell asleep in front of them, she hoped they'd get the message and go away, but she had to show at least a _little_ dignity.

After all, she could have all the fun that she wanted during the celebration.

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The humans awoke with the sun, and began going about in their normal duties. None of them were able to detect the raw charge of pre-battle euphoria below in the waters.

But as they prepared for the night, the steady force grew, and they became uneasy.

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Kurogane had chosen to sleep in the living room that day, and Fai once again slept soundly in his bed. The dark haired man was surprised; the mage usually didn't sleep that soundly, he would always cry out like he was in a bad dream. Throughout the whole time they had spent together down in the water, he hadn't been plagued by a single one.

When the moon was shining again, Fai swam out of his room and over to Kurogane. Both knew that the other was anxious of the outcome of the later attack. Kurogane spoke first

"I'm going to find some place to practice. See you later."

"Fine." Fai sighed.

Kurogane nodded, and swam off to practice. Fai went back to bed; he was still tired. Before crawling back under the covers, he pulled his robe back on.

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At the rate and speed Kurogane was practicing, Kurogane should have broken a little sweat. He frowned. The tail that had replaced his legs made it strange to do some moves, and he knew that he needed to fix this problem before the eclipse. He concentration was broken when someone began clapping.

"Marvelous!" An old woman called. "You have a gift with the blade!"

Kurogane turned to face her and tried to hide his annoyance at being interrupted.

"Thank you."

"Oh, yes! A gift indeed!"

"…Yeah."

"You're such a strong man; could you help me carry some packages into my store for me? I wounded my arm years ago, and I've never fully recovered. Old age doesn't help either." She asked with big pleading eyes. Kurogane sighed. There was something weird about this, but for the moment he could at least help her with one package.

"Sure." He sheathed his sword and followed her.

It didn't take long to reach a cart lead by two enormous seahorses. Kurogane picked up two large sacks in each arm and followed her into her shop.

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Kurogane ended up unloading the entire cart for her. In the end, his back was sore, but he felt that he had quickly grown more adept to swimming with his tail. They said their goodbyes, Kurogane just grunted, and parted ways.

On his way back to his temporary home, he passed through the back roads of the market. Another old woman called out to him.

"Boy!" She cried out "Do you know of the eclipse ceremony?"

Kurogane sighed. "Yes."

The woman nodded solemnly.

"The rays of the moon cause weakness to some young men."

Kurogane nodded slowly. He didn't buy a single word the woman said. She knew this, and decided to cut to the chase.

"You deserve a talisman to aid you." She thrust a bag into his arms. "Fluorite. The stones flux power will help melt the rays' powers away, while building your strength up at the same time. That's what you want, isn't it? To become stronger? Just open it."

Kurogane couldn't help keeping the shocked expression off of his face. But at the same time…

He tossed the bag away with a look of disgust. The old woman snatched it away before it could hit the ground, cradling it. True, the fluorite's flux would do as she told the man, but it would also severely weaken the bearers' mental strength in order to make them physically stronger. It was one of the quickest ways to make someone a zombie-like slave. If this man were like that, she would be able to get any information out of him and use him as a pawn to get to her human.

"Do I look like an idiot?" He growled, holding his sword at her throat. "I know who you are. I can sense you aura."

The woman smirked. "Then there's no need for my façade. Where is my human?"

"Safe from you."

"Ha!"

Kurogane really wanted to run his sword through her, end the madness before it had a chance to bloom any further. This wasn't his fight though, and he knew that.

Ashura darted around the sword, grabbing Kurogane by the neck and pinning him to the ground.

"If I can't get an answer out of you, I'll just kill you and be done with it!"

Kurogane easily slid out of her grasp and set his sword up to block her.

"Let me guess! You thought that you could use me to get to him? You really think I'd ever serve under you?" Kurogane laughed humorlessly.

"There's only one person that I'll ever serve under!"

AN: How was it??

I really was going to make the encounter between Kurogane and Ashura bloodier; but in the end it really didn't work out. I began to think that he'd know that it 'wasn't his fight' and such, and switch to just defending himself. That sounds kind of dull though…

I almost had Fai appear at the last moment and be like "La la la, minding my own business, hmmhmm, WOAH. MY BAD." ;D

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!!

EDIT: Sorry about not putting this in!

Qiang is Chinese for "spear" I'd Wikipedia it for more info

_The name drachma is derived from the verb "δράττω" (__dráttō__, "to grasp").__[1]__ Initially a drachma was a fistful (a "grasp") of six __oboloi__ (metal sticks), which were used as a form of currency as early as 1100 BC. It was the standard unit of silver coinage at most ancient Greek mints, and the name 'obol' was used to describe a coin that was one-sixth of a drachma _(the Greek money info was taken from Wikipedia, so this info is NOT MINE!)


	13. The Acts

Fai woke an hour later. Kurogane was still out, so he decided to go and look for him. It was his fault that the ninja was stuck down here. He picked up the mirror and stared into its face.

…_Even if _he_ was the one who followed me to the sea._

He put the weapon back down and swam out to the market, asking random passerby if they'd seen him. A young mermaid pointed into the messier part of the shopping area, saying that she had seen him not five minutes ago. He thanked her and set off.

He found Kurogane fighting an old woman. Neither of the fighters had noticed him yet, he was hiding behind a large boulder by a door on the side of the street; peeking over the top to get a view of the scuffle. He knew not to get in the way just yet.

The woman cackled, sending a chill down Fai's spine. She quickly backed away from Kurogane, turning and looking to where Fai was hiding.

"Well! It looks like I won't need you after all! He's here right now!" She said triumphantly, and then Fai understood.

_What?... It's Ashura! This woman is the Queen!_

Fai flitted into the door next to him, looking for a place to hide. Ashura and Kurogane smashed through the doorway, each trying to beat the other in and get to Fai.

"Come to me, Human!"

"Get the hell out of here, you idiot!"

Ashura shot into room after room, dodging attacks from Kurogane. All of the rooms she had passed were empty of life, and all too soon, there was only one small room left.

The architect of the building clearly had never been the brightest star under the sea. He or she had designed it to have wooden floorboards towards the back, where the last room was. Or maybe they had planned it to become what it was; free of protective spells and currently rotting away.

Fai had chosen the room at random without knowing what was inside; so he was surprised when he found a huge hole in the floor. He slipped in and found himself in a cavern.

Ashura and Kurogane were equally confused at the hole, and they struggled to beat the other in. Ashura threw an unfair punch at Kurogane's stomach, winding him for a second. She shot in, mad with rage.

"Show yourself now!" She shrieked.

Fai leapt out of his hiding place when she began to advance in his direction, slashing his hand out at her. Five lines of blood blossomed across her shoulders and neck. The wounds were deep enough to cause her to cease the hunt and howl in pain.

Fai drew his claws back, preparing for another attack. Kurogane yelled out.

"Not now! You have to wait!" He glared into Fai's golden eye until the man retracted his claws.

Ashura floated in place, bent forward and silently gasping. Fai nodded and swam past her to Kurogane.

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"God damn it!" Kurogane roared from within the safety of the borrowed home. Fai glared over at him.

"It's not my fault." He shot at him, a glare on his usually happy face. The ninja slammed a fist against the wall.

"You shouldn't have gone there!"

Fai's eye began to glow golden angrily and he looked away, prepared to ignore the man.

"The battle is only a few hours away, and you decide to just go out _alone_, when you know how vital you are to their plans?" He stopped to glower at the man.

"And you revealed to that bitch your vampire abilities!"

Fai growled, rising from where he had been sitting.

"What other choice did I have?" He yelled back.

"Your magic! How about that?"

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Subaru and Kamui waited outside Maecenas's house, neither wanting to go in. They could hear the humans shouting.

"We should stop them before they kill each other." Kamui muttered. Subaru nodded.

They opened the front door, interrupting and ending the argument. Kamui sighed.

"We can't let silly little quarrels go on like this. Not right before a battle."

"Follow us back to the cave." Subaru said. "Bring your weapons."

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An hour later, the humans were standing alongside a group of people dressed to blend in during the ceremony. Kurogane simmered down quickly and was now eager for a fight. He was at the front, his sword was gleaming; he had left its sheath back home. Fai was in the middle of the group, still a little angry, wearing a disguise. His staff was strapped to his back, and the mirror was attached to a belt around his waist.

En masse, the group left the cave and headed out to an ancient theatre.

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The theatre was cut into an underwater mountainside, and held room for hundreds of spectators. It was a little more than halfway full. The rebels split up and sat in three different locations: near the front row, the middle, and the outer edges. Fai and Kurogane were placed near the front. A merman sat next to them.

"They'll show a play or two, and some other stuff, before Ashura shows. We'll be here awhile." He explained. Kurogane nodded.

"I hope it's not too long. I wouldn't want to get bored."

The man laughed.

"That's the spirit!"

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Ashura grinned as the first act began. An actor cried out in false anguish, but to her it sounded real. The Queen was currently high up above the rest of the audience.

The way it should be.

In the privacy of her private viewing box, she was pouring over scrolls and tomes, searching.

"…_The greatest weaknesses to one of such stature, is loss of control_." She muttered to herself, already knowing a spell.

"This is too easy."

She sat back, turning her attention to the stage, where actors were performing in masks.

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The first performance finished, and a break was allowed before the start of the next act.

Fai rose to swim off and stretch his tail; he was stiff from sitting for so long. Kurogane was lightly dozing.

As the blond began to turn around, after stretching his back, Kurogane grabbed his arm.

"Stay here. The bitch is around here somewhere, and it would be stupid for you too leave." He stopped to stretch a little himself, and Fai smirked.

"Are you saying I can't take care of myself?"

"No." _But the last time you ran off alone, you almost died. _The ninja thought to himself. Fai sighed, flopping back into his seat.

"The break is almost over anyway." Fai glanced over to the merman as he swam back to his seat next to them.

He had never seen him before.

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The second play was proving to be very romantic and over practiced. Kurogane snorted.

It was so stupid he couldn't _not_ watch it.

An actor cried, rushing into the arms of another actress.

"My love!" He whispered dramatically for the crowd to hear. "I cannot stay with you; for I am nothing but a monster!"

The actress boldly drew him closer. "It does not matter, darling! We'll make it work! I can become like you! I am not afraid."

Her lover shoved her away sadly, and she raced back to him.

Fai's eye twitched.

_This_ was entertainment?

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As the spy had said, the target was near the front. Now, all she had to do was set the spell, and let the filthy rebels handle the rest.

AN: Sorry about the shortness of this chapter! I had it right where I wanted it though, so I'm just going to post this…I didn't want to reveal too much at once!

If you caught the Twilight rant/joke…you win! I'm not really good with writing humor, but I thought I'd give it a shot! Hope it wasn't too distracting from the story!

Thanks to everyone who has read and reviewed!


	14. Dementis interfeci

_Almost over, almost over… _Fai repeated the mantra over and over again in his head. He wasn't even looking at the stage anymore, just down. His hands were balled into fists.

Finally, his torture was over and the actors left with the screams of nearly every female in the crowd. Kurogane was silently laughing to himself.

"That was so god damn stupid-" He began

"Absolutely terrible!" Fai hissed, rubbing his head in mock pain.

"The two of you didn't like it?" The merman next to them asked; green eyes full of mirth.

"No." Fai shot back quietly.

"Well, that's too bad. They're going to have another break, and then they'll go straight to the ceremony." He stated. Kurogane turned to stare at him.

"I thought they were going to 'do some other stuff' before that. Why the rush?"

"Her Majesty is bored." Was the reply, with a flourish to the box the Queen was in.

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Fai leaned in to whisper to Kurogane. He had a worried look on his face.

"I sense someone is creating dark magic-"

"You gonna do something about it?"

Fai shrugged, waving a hand.

"I'll do something. You too, Kurgs. No sitting around." He joked.

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Ashura frowned. Where was he? His head appeared, in the sea of people, standing out easily, even through his weak disguise of a hood from a different cloak.

She pointed a long finger at him, shouting a spell before he could react.

"_Dementis interfeci!"_

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Kurogane shouted, knocking Fai out of the way.

"She's started! Move!"

The two other groups of rebels jumped into action, bringing weapons out of nowhere and charging those who had also drawn weapons. The Queen knew their plans, and had arranged her defense.

The spell hit Kurogane, but did nothing except leave a gash on the back of his shoulder. Ashura had taken her time, setting and bending the spell to only affect one person. Kamui and Subaru appeared before him, waiting for a command. Fai was shoved to them.

"Your plans won't work. She knows!"

They nodded, each taking Fai by an arm and quickly swimming off with him. Kurogane dove back into the fight.

"Let go!" The blond yelled. "I can still help!"

Subaru turned and stared at him with a look full of malice. His eyes began to glow. Kamui mimicked his actions with an insane smile.

"We know." They whispered. Fai's eye widened.

"Who are you?"

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The doppelgangers stopped in front of Ashura's box. So far, no one had even looked up to notice them. She swam out and faced them. Fai's gaze was momentarily locked on her until he looked back to his captors. Their entire appearances had changed into those of the Palace guards.

These were not the real Kamui and Subaru.

They pulled Fai's arms behind him and turned his body to Ashura.

"Prepare to die!" She hissed darkly. Fai looked away, and a webbed hand grabbed him roughly by the jaw and wrenched his face back until he was forced to stare at the Queen.

"_Dementis interfeci!_"

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Kurogane sliced a merman in half after Fai was gone. Too late, he realized his mistake. _How_ could he have even let it happen? He whipped back around to see Ashura firing the same spell again straight into Fai's chest.

"Damn it!" He shot off to them, blood slowly oozing out of his wound.

By now, others had noticed with horror their poor change in fortune; but they were too wrapped up in their fights to be able to help. Kurogane was alone.

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Fai screamed, feeling a dark surge of power enter his mind. It was just strong enough to trap him, removing his mind from control.

His vampire scenes heightened, and he drew out his claws as the white of his golden eye turned black. The guards tightened their grip on him as he continued to scream and try to claw them to death.

"I can't have him kill those on my side. _Pertraho_." The Queen said. Fai was completely controlled, andnow was only going to attack those against the Queen.

"Release him." She ordered. They let him go, and he immediately shot down to meet an unlucky ninja, his hood falling and letting his pale hair stream freely through the water.

Ashura laughed. This was so much easier than she had first thought. Now she didn't have to worry about getting cut up by him.

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Fai swung a clawed hand out at Kurogane, prepared to kill him. Kurogane easily dodged as Fai laughed manically, revealing fangs that had never been there before.

"Snap out of it!" Kurogane yelled from behind him. He grabbed the end of the spear, still strapped to Fai's back, and flung the thin man up, forcing him loose concentration for a moment. Fai straightened himself, cutting a nearby rebel without killing her.

His twisted mind was mainly focused on the dark haired man with the bleeding shoulder.

All he saw was the red.

Kurogane laughed darkly, charging at him to get him away from the rest of the people. Fai spun away and swiped his hand out again, barely cutting across the man's stomach. In his head, back in a trapped corner, he was screaming.

_Stop! Make it stop!_

He felt his lips open as the demon screamed in an animal-like cry. It filled him with terror. And fury.

_I don't want this!_

Putting his vow to the Witch and fellow travelers aside, he unleashed a surge of magic, cracking the black glaze over his mind.

"Get out!" He yelled. Kurogane stopped. They were high above the rest of the fight. The ninja backed off only a little, still ready to block him if he tried to attack. Fai's face was hidden by his hair.

Fai chocked, losing the little control he had regained as the dark magic resumed its control. He looked at Kurogane with a sadistic grin and beckoned to him with a clawed finger.

"You should finish this. I'm not leaving, and he's not coming back." Fai said with the same sadistic grin.

"The only way to end it is to kill him."

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"He can break it, if he'd only use his damn magic more! What is holding back for?" Kurogane thought angrily. He blocked another swipe, flicking his tail. He flashed past Fai and hit him roughly on the head.

"Fight back, dammit!" He yelled, hoping Fai would try to break the spell.

"Gladly!" Fai's voice laughed, elbowing him in his gut. Kurogane was already out of his reach.

The ninja knew that in the past, he had cracked the mages mask by forcing him to talk or admitting. Minds games may work again. It was worth a shot.

"You're going to let the bitch win?" He called, glaring. "You gonna let that thing inside of you kill everyone?"

Fai seemed to stumble. He faltered in his attack, and Kurogane shot at him, locking his arms at his sides to keep him from cutting him.

He didn't see the black substance leave the eye, but he did notice the claws retract. All was silent save for the clash of weapons below, and then Fai whispered.

"I'm such a fool."

His shoulders shook a little as he tried to hold back tears of frustration. Roughly freeing his arms, Kurogane was a little worried that he wasn't completely back, he swam away to Ashura.

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Kamui and Subaru had seen the whole thing from below between hits and swings of weapons around them. How the guards got their identities was a complete mystery to them. Their eyes widened.

"He's going back to her!" Subaru gasped. Kamui nodded.

"I think he may actually do it. End it!"

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The fight below seemed to stop as Fai sped to Ashura, who grinned and readied a spell. Fai already one hand set with his vampire claws. He held the spear in the other. Ashura held something up at him, a small and orange object, and Fai froze.

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	15. Blood, Rain, Tears

The fight below seemed to stop as Fai sped to Ashura, who grinned and readied a spell. Fai already one hand set with his vampire claws. He held the spear in the other. Ashura held something up at him, a small and orange object, and Fai froze.

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The coral had more blood on it than before; Akitla's. The control wouldn't work on _her_ any longer. Ashura sneered at Fai. She hadn't used the coral yet to take over his mind, but he still wouldn't move; he was shocked and even looked a little frightened.

"Weak human!"

"Fai! Move!" Kurogane yelled from below. This was the mages fight, but he still wanted a part in killing Ashura.

Fai's eyebrow rose in surprise, and he grabbed the mirror from around his belt. He released it, and it fell away to the group below, where Kurogane caught it.

"Take it to the children." He whispered to himself. Suddenly, he smiled. He could sense the magic from the coral. True, it wouldn't work on a dead mermaid, but now it wouldn't work on him either. The mix of blood from two different hosts had tainted it. The worst it could do now was make him dizzy or confused.

"That won't work, Ashura-o." He said, pulling his arm back to prepare to throw the spear. She threw the ruined coral away, and it shattered against the stone behind her. With a growl, she launched herself at him madly. Fai knocked her away with a slash of claws across her face.

He looked down, at all the people looking up at him. They were all wounded, and for what? They all thought they were right, and the other was wrong, when really it was their leader who was to blame. This civilization clearly had never really had any major battles, nothing to base this one off of for assistance.

It wasn't fair for them to have to start now.

This "Queen" had abused her power, ruined her peoples lives slowly. They had never really retaliated, until a single person decided that enough was enough.

Fai threw the spear, piercing Ashura through her heart. Ashura gave one final shuddering gasp, glaring at her killer, and died.

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The world seemed to loose all of its noise as the woman died. The killer drew in his bloodied claws, hiding his face in his hands.

"_My magic is such that the more people I murder, the stronger my magic becomes. And soon, it should be even stronger than yours…Fai." _His King's chilling words rang through his head.

_Oh, god…_

Fai sped away.

_I don't know what to do!_

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Fai went straight for the surface, heading for the beach. He sat on a cluster of rounded stones still in the sea but close to the shore, and looked out to the water he had just come from. Something wet crawled down his face, and he realized that it was a tear. His lips trembled, and he began sobbing. His arms wrapped around his sides and he hugged himself.

It began raining; pouring, and cold water pelted his back like needles. He didn't notice. He felt cold as ice inside.

_This hurts, this pain! I can't stand it!_

The twisted face of the dying Queen flashed in his memory, and he began screaming uncontrollably, sobbing.

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Sakura looked out the window as it began to rain. She sighed. It was late, and she needed to get her rest, but she was too worried. As she sat there in the window seat, a knock sounded at her door.

"Come in."

Syaoran walked in and lit a candle, creating a pool of warm light in the dark room. With the little light, he joined Sakura by the window.

"Are you alright, Sakura-chan?" He asked. She shook her head.

"I'm worried for them. What if something happened-" She stopped, looking fearfully out the window.

"Someone is out there, Syaoran-kun!"

"What?"

"A scream! They could be hurt!"

She was barely able to hear it over the rain, but it was full of pain. She jumped to her feet.

"We have to help them!"

"Princess! It's dangerous!" He stared into her eyes, brimmed with tears of worry.

"Please, let's go." She asked. He sighed, nodding. If someone was out there like that, they really could be in trouble.

"Alright."

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They rushed out the door with coats on to shield themselves, running to the beach. When they got there, it was too dark to see. A flash of lightning cracked through clouds in the sky, momentarily showing the beach and water to them. Syaoran cried out, "The rocks! Someone's out there!"

The sea was calm, even through the storm, and the teens quickly splashed out to the lone person. The identity was unrecognizable to them in the darkness. It was only a partial eclipse at the moment. As they got closer, Sakura saw around the side of the rock, where a long and dark tail was resting. With wide eyes, she looked up to see the pale hair of Fai, whose face was hidden in shadows. Either he was ignoring them, or he hadn't noticed them through the rain. His arms were still wrapped around his waist, and his head was slightly bent forwards as his shoulders continued to shake with sobs.

"Fai-san!" Sakura called to the man. He looked up in surprise and shock.

"You shouldn't be here, Sakura-chan. You could get hurt." He called sadly through a gust of wind. She shook her head, saying that she was staying.

Syaoran appeared from the other side of the rock. He was surprised that Fai was still conscious above the surface of the water. The rain must have been running through his gills. Salt water to rain water, they were still both water.

"Fai-san, what happened? Where is Kurogane-san?" He asked. Fai shook his head to the first question, pointing out to the water for the second with a webbed hand.

"Fai-san, are you alright? You're not hurt?" Sakura asked. The rainfall had gotten slightly softer, and she cautiously climbed up next to the man. Syaoran followed her to make sure she didn't fall. Sakura hugged Fai, not caring if he got her wet since she was drenched already. Blinking first in surprise, the merman wrapped his arms around her in an embrace.

"I'm alright. I'm more worried about the two of you! Going out in a storm; you'll catch a cold!" He smiled a wobbly smile and patted the girl's head. She looked up at him sadly, knowing that he really was hurt. At least, in his heart.

He was unable to hold back another tear, and it fell down his face, mixing with the rain.

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Kurogane stared at Fai as he raced away. This was probably one of the mage's first kills, and it was clear that he was in shock. He decided to leave him alone; it seemed to be the best option.

Everyone was still silent, gaping at the corpse of the twisted leader.

Kurogane swam back to the crowd.

Time to take a lead. He sighed. As much as he hated to admit it, he'd rather follow the mage and make sure that he was all right.

"Everyone! Take care of the garbage!" He yelled, referring to the corpses of the fallen army of the Queen.

"What about the Queen?" Someone asked.

"Leave the bitch to rot." Kurogane said.

They began to drag the bodies over to the side of the theatre, where a huge drop was located. The bodies were thrown over the edge, where they sank to the depths.

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The rain came to a shuddering halt; and Fai's ability to stay above the surface was cut short. A small moment passed, and already he felt a stab in his altered lungs. He looked up, hoping the sky would grant him a few more drops of water. Sadly, he looked back to Syaoran and Sakura. They looked back with worried expressions.

"You should go." Syaoran said. Fai nodded, hugging them gently before slipping back into the water.

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Fai swam slowly through the water as he began to cry softly. He went to an abandoned area of coral not too far from the polis. Settling among the colorful animals, he sank to the ground, and began humming softly. Other people swam past him, but he was in the shadows and remained hidden. After a while, he swam to the top of the coral to watch Kurogane lead them. Fai began singing sadly, asking questions.

"_So where do we go from here? And how to forget and forgive?" _

His voice carried over to the theatre, causing a few heads to turn. He turned back around and swam away before he could see if anyone followed, his voice reaching a decrescendo.

"_What's gone is forever lost. Now all we can do is live." _

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AN: I'm really sorry I haven't posted lately! I was busy, and decided to twist the plot at the last moment, so I had to change some stuff! Hope it was ok! ^^

"_So where do we go from here? And how to forget and forgive? What's gone is forever lost. Now all we can do is live."_ Is from the awesome song "Brothers" from Fullmetal Alchemist, so I don't own it. It's originally written in Russian, but Vic Mignogna sang it too! 8D either way, check it out on youtube or whatever, it's a really nice song! *hums*

(sorry if that scene was cheesy, but I really wanted to put at least a small piece of the song in)


	16. Bad Luck

Fai didn't go back to the theatre, but back to Maecenas's stone home. He knew that they, the merpeople, didn't need him anymore, and Kurogane would come back soon enough.

He decided to get some sleep, and went into his room and shrugged off the robe, collapsing onto the bed as the sun began to rise.

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Kurogane rushed back to the home when he had finally gotten away from the theatre. Moving quickly, he burst into Fai's room and shook him awake.

"Get up!" He barked. Fai was immediately alert.

"What is it, Kuro-doggy?" He rubbed sleep out of his eye and sat up.

"The fish are going mad. They must have had the shit scared out of them from us; as soon as they finished moving the dead to the cliff, they began attacking."

Fai gaped at him. "Why?"

"You 'cursed' them, by killing Ashura-"

"But, isn't that what they wanted? To have her gone?"

"No, just to strip her of her power."

"They made it sound like they wanted her dead!" Fai sputtered. "What about all of the 'battle plans'? The weapons? They said they were planning on attacking her!"

Kurogane looked out the window and back to Fai.

"It's too late for that now. The entire polis is out, looking for us. There's too many to take at once; we need to leave."

Fai stared at him. Kurogane, running away?

"Did you hit your head or something?" He asked with a raised eyebrow. "I can't believe you're suggesting running away."

Kurogane frowned. "We could just stay here and wait for them, but fighting in a small space like this seems stupid."

Fai flopped back on the pillows. "Oh." He muttered. "Let's go, then." He slid out of his bed, quickly following Kurogane out of the house.

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Kurogane handed the mirror back to Fai before they got too far out in the open. The spear was still lodged in Ashura's chest.

They stayed out of the public places, silently creeping along to get to a safer location. Kurogane had his sword out, ready to kill anyone on the spot.

"Mister?" A small voice asked softly. Fai swung his hand out to grab the ninja's before he could attack. They both turned to see a small child.

"Mister, what's going on? Everything is dark and scary." Her eyes welled up with tears, and she floated there, crying. Kurogane looked startled and truly sad; Fai went over and scooped her up into a hug. Her cries died away at the comfort.

"Excuse me!" A sharp voice called. Fai and Kurogane looked up to see a woman swimming towards them, the mother. She gently took her child back, who had fallen soundly asleep. The woman sighed.

"I'm sorry. My daughter usually doesn't go around like that-"

"It's no trouble." Fai said softly.

_I'm sorry too._

The woman looked up at him sadly, studying his face. Her eyes filled with terror, and she looked over to Kurogane. She quickly backed away, and fled. As she rounded a large stone, they heard her call to others.

"They are here! The humans!"

At once, a mob of citizens appeared from what seemed to be everywhere. Fai gaped, and Kurogane took a few swings at those who got too close. A man yelled at them.

"We trusted you to save us, not kill us!" He picked up a rock and threw it at Fai. The blond dodged it, and another began to shout. Everyone seemed to be shouting, throwing things.

"I knew we could never trust humans!"

"We didn't know of the curse!" Fai cried out. The throwing stopped, and silence followed.

Fai shifted his hand, and the mirror reflected light off its surface. The item seemed to frighten the people, and Kurogane quickly became aware of this.

"Let us through, or else." He growled, pointing to the weapon. Everyone quickly backed away, fear in their eyes. Kurogane sighed angrily.

"Come on, mage." He said quietly, swimming up to the surface. Fai nodded, and followed.

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Kurogane broke the surface of the water, looking up into the glowing orb in the sky. Fai appeared next to him, looking to the shore.

"Let's get back to land."

"You going to use magic to change us back?"

"…"

Fai looked over to the side at a boat. It was only about ten feet away. A man was on the port side, about to throw a net out to catch fish. He was gaping at the mermen in the water with an expression that made him look like a fish. Fai waved to him, and the man stiffly beckoned him over, blinking his eyes to check if was seeing things.

"Are the two of ye from below?" He called down to them as Fai came a few feet closer.

"What's it to you?" Kurogane shot back. Fai smiled.

"You could say that, I guess." He replied to the man.

The man blinked again. His eyes shifted between the two creatures below him. One was currently glaring back at him with red eyes, and had a sword. The other seemed to be more relaxed. The glaring one ducked back under the water for a moment to catch his breath, and then reappeared.

Suddenly, the man flung his net out. Only one of the mermen was close enough to get tangled up, the light-haired one. It would be easier though that way, the other one looked too difficult to catch and he himself remain unscathed. He quickly yanked the net back out of the water with the help of a pulley system. The other took a few slashes at the net, but not enough to free the other before he was taken out of reach.

"Dammit!" Kurogane yelled before putting his sword back in its sheath and struggling up the side of the ship.

"You two don't know how much you're worth!" The man cried out. "If I sell just one of you, I'll become rich! I'll be able to feed my family!"

Fai struggled in the net. His hands were tightly trapped in the small square holes of the net, and the mirror fell into his lap, useless. He was having difficulty breathing. Kurogane appeared over the side suddenly, crawling with his arms. He grabbed a clay pot full of sand, and threw it at the man, who was tying the end of the net up. It was now hanging a few feet over the wooden deck, next to the mast. The pot shattered against the back of his head, and the man crumbled to the ground.

"Can you get out?" Kurogane shouted at Fai.

"No! My hands are stuck in the rope."

Kurogane cursed, hitting his fist against the deck. They were both running out time. Furiously, and a little weakly, he began to pull himself towards the spot where the end of the net was. With a single swing of the blade, Kurogane cut it down and Fai, still in the net, crashed to the ground why a cry of surprise.

"What in blazes is going on out here?" A voice roared. The owner of the voice kicked a door open, stepping out onto the deck. He eyed the man slumped over.

"This is why I never pay you in full!" He yelled. "You're always drunk!"

He walked over to wake him up, and came across Kurogane, weakly trying to cut the net away from Fai without cutting him. The ninja was seeing spots, and his vision was blurry, making the task almost impossible. Fai was already out cold, having been out of the water for a few more seconds than Kurogane. With a cry of shock, the new man seized a large bucket of water and emptied it over the two.

"How did the two of you get here?" Hans asked, bending down and freeing Fai from the net. Kurogane shook his head to clear it before answering.

"Ask that bastard." He growled, pointing to the now awake captor. Hans turned to him.

"Mr. Slate?" Hans barked

"Yes, sir?" He replied meekly, getting to his feet and turning around.

"You're fired."

"Fired?!"

"Yes. Fired."

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"This is unfair." Fai grumbled to himself. Hans looked over to him as he walked by with a smile of sympathy. "All the bad luck lately has been falling on me."

"You may just be one that attracts that kind of luck, mister." A crewmember said, passing Hans. He then puffed out his chest. "But, me… I never get bad luck!" He beamed a goofy smile, unaware that he was annoying them, and walked away, tripping on a stray boot and falling on his face.

Kurogane laughed. He and Fai were currently stretched out in the shade with buckets of water next to them. Whenever they needed to, they would just splash their gills with some water. Kurogane was leaning against a wall. Earlier, he and Fai had to be almost carried over to the location. His pride was crushed. Fai was lightly dozing, lying on his stomach, until he woke up and began complaining. The cabin boy was sitting next to him, staring with wide eyes at their tails. Kurogane grumbled to the boy, asking how much longer they had to stay on the "god damn boat". The poor child's eye's widened in fright; he was afraid of this scary man.

"A-a few more hours, at the most, sir!" He squeaked. Fai glanced at Kurogane and back to the boy, whom he patted on the head.

"You don't need to worry about Kuro-grumpy!" He smiled. The boy smiled back, and scampered back to work. Fai chuckled. "You like scaring kids now?"

Kurogane scowled. "He needs to learn more respect, instead of staring at people like some idiot."

Fai sighed, looking away with a lost smile.


	17. Trust

An hour later, Hans walked past again.

"Just so the two of you know, I put Slate down below. He'll be working there until we return tonight. I'll remove him from my services then." They nodded back, happy. Hans nodded, his gaze flickering into the buckets of water to check and see that they weren't empty.

"How about you jump back in the water for a bit?" Hans offered. "You'd feel better."

Fai shrugged. The polis below would be in a state too chaotic for its people to even bother even going to the surface any time soon. They slept during the day anyway.

"What do you think, Kuro-puu?"

"I'm staying here."

"But, you'll feel better-"

"You could just use your magic and change us back, you know. I'd feel a hell of a lot better with my legs again."

Fai smiled at him, his eye giving away a little of his anger.

"I think I'll stay too, Hans-san." Fai smiled to Hans. The man nodded, uncertain, and went back to work.

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Fai scooted up against the wall caddy-corner to Kurogane, resting his back against the cool wood. He stared into the mirrors face, seeing his reflection gazing back curiously before he looked over to the ninja.

"It's the feather, isn't it?" Kurogane muttered, pointing to the weapon.

"Yes."

Kurogane snorted, smirking. "Figures."

"Hmm?"

"Someone would have ended up going down there anyway. How long have you known that it was the feather?"

"A few days."

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Hours passed, and the sun finally set. The entire deck was washed in moonlight and shadows. Fai had fallen into another catnap, leaving Kurogane alone to sit in the darkness, only waking up to get more water every now and then. Hans appeared again, telling them that they were returning to the docks.

"Are you sure you want to go to land? Not the sea?" He asked Kurogane a final time. The ninja nodded.

"We can't go back there."

"It'll be difficult to deliver you back to my home."

"I have an idea." Fai cut in softly. "Could you bring Maecenas here, and some clothes?"

Hans pondered this. "Well, I don't see why not. But don't you have some magic of your own?"

"Yes, but I can't do the type of spell required."

Kurogane glared at Fai. Either the thin mage couldn't remember what he did while he was possessed, or he was lying. Kurogane guessed the latter.

The ship began to slow down, and finally stop. A few members of the crew jumped out to tie the craft to the dock. Hans nodded to the mermen, quickly leaving for his home. A strong wind blew him a few feet forward, and he stopped to bark orders to the crew. The masts were pulled in.

Kurogane looked up to see dark clouds stretch out across the dark sky, blotting out the moon. Fai made a worried noise in his throat, but otherwise remained silent as Hans took off for his home.

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Hans was out of breath when he arrived at his home. He burst in through the door as a bolt of lightning lit the sky. Ariel appeared, giving him a quick peck on the check.

"What is it, Hans?"

"I need two long coats; could you fetch them for me?" He wheezed. She nodded, and hurried off. Syaoran appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Boy! Go and wake the others!"

Syaoran nodded, running off. Moments later, Ariel returned with the longest coats she could find. Syaoran appeared again with Sakura, Maecenas, and Mokona. Hans took the coats, thanking Ariel and beckoning to Maecenas.

"Come with me."

The woman sighed, nodding and joining his side. Syaoran whispered something to Sakura, and went to join them.

"I'm coming too."

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The trio ran out and into the storm, quickly making it back to the ship. They climbed onto the deck, trying to not slip on the wet boards. Hans spotted the mermen, sitting out in the rain.

"Here!" He handed the coats to them. They pulled them on quickly and buttoned them to keep them from blowing around. Fai turned to Maecenas, talking loudly over the wind.

"Can you change us back?" He asked.

"Why won't you do it?" She shot at him.

"I can't!"

The woman rolled her eyes and walked over, snapping her fingers. The locket left Kurogane, returning to her hand. Before their eyes, his tail melted away, revealing his legs once again. His coat was so long though; it went to the middle of his shins as he stood. Stretching his back he almost smiled with the joy of finally having his legs back.

Maecenas snapped her fingers again, returning Fai to his normal form. He stood up, running a hand along his neck. No gills. The blond woman cleared her throat before speaking loudly.

"So, how was it?" She asked. "Did you defeat her?"

Fai and Kurogane exchanged a sour look.

"Yeah."

"Pretty much."

"So, how is everything down there? Is it better off? Is everyone happy?" She shot off one question after another, not giving them enough time to answer. An explosion of purple thunder cut her off, and everyone looked up into the sky.

"We need to head back! We can talk later!" Hans said.

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Sakura stared into her steaming mug of hot chocolate. She and Ariel had hastily prepared one for everyone, Mokona receiving one in a shot glass- sized mug. How or why they had a mug of that size…

The Princess sighed. Fai had been oddly silent the entire time, mimicking her act of staring into his own mug. Every now and then, Kurogane would throw a glance at Maecenas, who would stare back, confused. This went on for some time. Hans and Ariel excused themselves to get to bed during the silence.

"What is with the two of you?" She asked suddenly, eyes flashing. Fai only shrugged, Kurogane ignored her completely. Fai took a large swig of lukewarm drink, swallowing it slowly.

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Sakura yawned lightly, trying to not fall asleep. Syaoran looked at her and smiled before blushing and looking away.

"Why don't we all go to bed?" Fai asked, speaking for the first time in over an hour.

Everyone agreed and began to leave for their beds. Maecenas decided at the last moment to go back to the polis, and she slipped the locket around her neck before telling the others where was going before slipping out the doors.

Within an hour, she was back.

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The travelers fell asleep one after the other, exhausted. Maecenas crept down the hall, trying to not wake any one. She stopped outside a door, taking a silent breath in, before swinging it open and stepping in. She closed the door behind her, locking it. The sleeping occupant was fast asleep, with a book across his chest. He had fallen asleep reading up on the history of the ocean. She approached the figure, reaching out with one hand. The other was holding something. The item caught a ray of moonlight and revealed it to be a razor sharp, jagged, dagger.

She lashed out with the free hand, clamping it over his mouth. He awoke with a muffled cry and immediately tried to escape. He looked up, noticing the blade, and his gaze widened in horror. He was frozen where he lay, too surprised to move even an inch.

"Where is Fai?"

"Mmph?"

"Fai! Or Kurogane, neither of them is here. There's hell to pay, and the price is to be their heads!"

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Only twenty minutes earlier, Fai awoke from another nightmare, and left for the kitchen.

_Making something will surely help clear my mind._ He hoped.

Unfortunately, he didn't have all the right supplies that he needed, so he just sat there instead. His eyes began to droop after ten minutes of sitting, and he fell into a light doze.

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Kurogane had never even fallen asleep. Sensing that something was going to happen, he pretended to sleep until Syaoran was, and then hid in the shadows on the stairs at the end of the hall, by Fai's room. He quickly slipped back down the hall and into his room when the sound of another entering it reached his ears.

Pausing for a precious second to analyze the situation, he burst into the room, disarming and throwing Maecenas into a desk. Syaoran quickly leapt out of his bed, grabbing his sword from the foot of his it.

"Not now, kid!" Kurogane growled without turning around. "Leave. Go to the princess." The boy nodded, racing out as Maecenas leapt back up with a snarl and jumped at Kurogane. He knocked her away again with a shove from the side of his sword.

"You humans ruined everything!" Maecenas seethed, aiming for another attack.

Kurogane easily dodged her and readied his sword. In normal circumstances, he would've killed her already, but something seemed to be holding him back.

"_Mine! He's my human!"_

Kurogane recalled the words Maecenas had said in Fai's voice. Deciding to not hold back any longer, he quickly killed. "You started all of this anyway." He muttered, leaving the room. His fellow traveler's were grouped out in Sakura's room. Fai had awoken and snuck up after the struggle had already begun, and Syaoran had called him into the room. Sakura was still sleeping; a good thing, since seeing the blood on Kurogane's sword would terrify her. Fai and Syaoran stared at the weapon, with shocked expressions on their faces.

AN: I'm terribly sorry about the long wait! School and band camp were taking up all of my free time, and I'm losing interest in this story. I'll still put my best in it and finish it though! I hate unfinished stories! I also had a plot change, and rewrote about half of this chapter so I wouldn't sound like a broken record. I still like the old draft though, and put at least an hour into writing it, so I'll put it up so you can check it out. Anything that happens in it now has nothing to do with the main plot any longer though. :D

Here it is! (Starting after: "He was frozen where he lay, too surprised to move even an inch.")

"I _trusted_ you! Everyone did!" Maecenas hissed, waving the dagger as though she was about to plunge it into his heart.

"We thought that you could _save_ us, the polis! You only made it _worse_! Now, _everyone_ is in danger! This is _your entire fault_! And you know it, don't you? You can sense the darkness." He dagger hand shook, and her captive shied back an inch into his pillow before lashing out with a foot and hitting her on her left shoulder blade. His foot got caught up in the fabric of the bed sheets, making his attack a waste of time. It did distract her though, making her angrier.

Maecenas swung the dagger down, aiming for his pale throat. Fai pulled the book up as a shield, and the blade became embedded in it. The tip of it, having penetrated the book, lightly scratched across his neck, but healed over almost instantly. The woman madly pulled her weapon out, aiming and stabbing at him multiple times, all the while keeping one hand firmly over his mouth. Fai kept blocking, finally jamming the weapon in his book and flinging it away. She growled and with lightning fast reflexes, grabbed him by the neck and dragged him over to the book. She left go of her death grip on his face, putting a foot on the book as a brace and pulling her dagger out, flicking bits of paper off with a twitch of her wrist.

_Should I fight back? Do I deserve this? Do I even care?_

"I should have left you when I found you in that damn shop!" She growled, sensing weakness. She snapped a hand from his throat to his mouth. They were both standing, Maecenas with her back to the dying fire, and Fai trapped in front of her with the blade at his throat.

A crash and rough yell sounded, and a large chunk of the door skidded to a stop at Fai's feet. He looked up to see Kurogane charging into the room. Maecenas also noticed, it was impossible to not see him, and she deftly swiped the dagger across Fai's throat. Blood blossomed across his neck as she dropped him, leaping to the window and crashing through it to the ground below as the mage fell in a heap to the cold floor. Kurogane didn't bother to see if the woman survived.

"Fai!" Syaoran ran in, Kurogane already had the mage up in his arms. The boy glanced over the bed, out the window. He was unable to see out it, and instead looked back to the bed. The small table next to the head had fallen over in the scuffle. The mirror had fallen off from the top of that, where Fai had placed it before going to bed earlier. It now had a piece of door burrowed into its face.

"Is Fai-san…?" Syaoran asked, cautiously walking up to the two men. The mage was barely conscious, his pale hands around his throat in a weak attempt to stop the blood flow. Kurogane could only shake his head at the boy.

Fai opened his eye and looked up at Kurogane. He smiled softly.

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"No! You're not going that easily!" The ninja growled, shaking the man and causing one of the hands to slip and fall away from his neck. The exposed flesh caused Kurogane's eyes to widen.

The long gash was quickly shrinking, closing up, before his eyes. A moment passed, and it was gone, completely healed. Fai took the other hand away, using it to stand back up.

"Who said I was going anywhere?" He smiled again at Kurogane and Syaoran, now more sadly. His neck, hands, and the front of his shirt were stained crimson. Against his pale skin and hair, it made him look almost like a ghost.

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Kurogane rose to his feet, approaching Fai and punching him roughly in the shoulder.

"Don't scare the shit out of me like that again." He growled. Fai looked over to Syaoran, noticing that the boy's face was still pale with shock.

"Syaoran-kun?" He asked worriedly, taking a step towards him.

"I-I'm fine, Fai-san." He stuttered out. Looking around again, his brown eyes fell on the mirror. He picked it up, shaking the loose glass off.

He was surprised to find that behind the sharp glass, there was a hollow. He gently pried more glass off before shoving his hand in slowly. His arm was in up to his elbow before he hit the back and something soft. Wrapping his hand around the prize, he pulled his arm back out.

"It's a feather." He said, holding the plume up for the others to see. A small knock came from what was left of the door, and the rest of the occupants in the house entered. Hans gaped at the ruined door before noticing the others and gaping at them.

"What happened here? A bloodbath?" He finally cried out in exasperation. Syaoran quickly excused himself, returning minutes later, stating quietly that Maecenas must have miss-judged her jump. The "stupid fish" had landed in a heap, the dagger piercing and killing her.

Syaoran held out the feather to Sakura, who received it and fell into a sleep, caught by the boy before she hit the ground.

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Mokona called Yuuko the next morning. Fai had spent the night in Kurogane and Syaoron's room, sleeping on a pallet on the floor.

ANX2: How was it? I stopped it there, since I had writer's block at the time.


	18. Departure

"Is she?..."

"Yeah."

Syaoran paled. Maecenas was just staring to oddly fit into the rhythm of their days, joking around with Mokona and being a friend to all of them, to an extent. Fai shook his head and kept silent. Suddenly, he walked out of the room. Kurogane watched this with a large frown on his face. The odds that Maecenas hadn't gone and searched the main floor before going upstairs (but then, why would she? Who would be down there at that hour?) were clearly in his favor. He would have died if he had stayed in his bed.

"Hitsuzen," the ninja bluntly recalled. Syaoron's eyes widened. Kurogane sighed before picking up a discarded shirt from the day before and wiping of the blood from his blade. Sakura yawned, turning to her side and opening her eyes. She squealed in surprise. Syaoran had been sitting on the floor next to her, so his head was the first thing she saw.

"Syaoran-kun!" the princess then noticed Kurogane. "Kurogane-san! What happened?" She stared at the sword with worried eyes. Luckily, the man had removed all the blood and hidden the soiled shirt. Fai returned from wherever he had run off to, holding the mirror in his hands. The thin man smiled softly at the princess. Mokona crawled out of the covers next to the girl, sitting up on her knee.

"Let's call Yuuko." The small creature offered.

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"The Polis is cursed? Is that what they said?" the Witch asked, smirking. Fai and Kurogane nodded. "Well, once the feather is gone, things should return to normal."

Kurogane snorted in disbelief. "Bullshit. That's too easy."

"It was never a problem for them anyway, Kurogane."

"Eh?"

"All of the citizens possess some form of magic; though many of them aren't aware of this. The mass panic of the Queen dying, combined with their power, caused the 'curse' to be put into full effect. The feather just pushed the envelope further."

"What the hell is an envelope?"

Yuuko sighed, shaking her head and smiling softly.

"Anyway, to get the feather, if you haven't figured it out already, you need to smash the mirror. After that, I suggest that you leave this world," Yuuko said dryly, poker- faced.

The group shared a look of confusion.

"Why?"

"Someone else is quickly heading to the world. I'm sure that you'll figure out whom, and make the right choice." With that, the Witch vanished.

"Syaoran-kun…" Sakura said quietly. The princess looked up at Fai, who still had the mirror. "Give me the feather. If it's gone, he may just pass this world by without hurting anyone."

Everyone seemed to agree, and Kurogane grabbed the mirror away, breaking the smooth surface with a fist. A feather floated out, and he handed it to Sakura. It floated into her chest, and she quickly fell back into a sleep.

Kurogane walked over to the window. The sun was just beginning to make itself known.

"We should take care of the body. Dispose of it," he said to the others, not looking at them.

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Within an hour, the body had been buried in a field, away from prying eyes. The blood had been cleaned from the bedroom, and the travelers made their beds, removed all of their possessions from the house, and left. They decided to leave behind the loaned clothes, and donned their original clothes before heading down to the market to get some food for the next world.

"What should we buy?" Syaoran asked.

"Anything but fish," Fai and Kurogane said in unison. Syaoran nodded, buying some bread and cheese instead. Sakura was asleep in Kurogane's arms, so she had no say in what food she wanted to get. Syaoran bought her a small candy for when she woke up anyway.

The boy recalled the time he spent at the beach with Sakura. She loved all of the twisted shells scattered across the sand.

"Could we go back to the sea?" he asked the two men. They looked like they really wanted to say no, but finally agreed. The boy smiled. He knew they didn't have that much time to leave, but he really wanted to give something to the princess.

Something to make her smile.

Another hour passed, and Syaoran had a fistful of only the most beautiful shells he could find. Fai and Kurogane took refuge with the princess and the pork bun in the shade of a tree. They were silent.

"Hey, mage." Kurogane muttered, leaning against the tree. He still had Sakura in his arms, to keep her from getting all sandy.

"Hmm?" Fai hummed, sprawled across the sandy ground. He looked up at the raven haired man from behind pale locks.

"Since when could you sing?"

Fai laughed lightly propping his chin in his hand and doodling in the sand. "I just picked it up, I guess."

"Really?" Kurogane didn't seem to believe him. Fai looked up at him, smiling.

"Really, Kurgles. No lies."

"That's new."

"Is there anything else we needed to do before we left?" Syaoran called, pocketing the shells.

"Not that I can think of, Syaoran-kun." Fai called back.

"Can we just get the hell out of here?" Kurogane grumbled. The wizard muttered something about grumpy puppies, smiling, and the taller man kicked sand in his face. Sputtering, Fai leapt to his feet and to the sea, stopping by before actually going into the water and splashing some in his face.

"Kuro-moo, that was _mean_!" Fai wined loudly, resting an arm across a knee and rubbing the salty water left from his eyes with the other hand.

"So?"

"Kuro-meanie is a fish-flopping fool!" Mokona suddenly shrieked. The beach fell silent, all eyes on the small creature. Fai began laughing

"…The hell?" Kurogane said with a bemused expression.

Sakura began to stir, and the ninja set her on her feet when she opened her eyes. She yawned.

"Where are we?"

"We haven't left yet," Kurogane mumbled. Syaoran appeared out of nowhere.

"Princess, we were about to leave. Is there anything final that you wanted to do here?" the boy asked. Sakura smiled at him brightly, saying that there was really nothing she could think of.

"Well, let's get the hell out of here!" Kurogane said again. "Pork bun!" he yelled at Mokona.

"Right!" the creature replied, jumping into the air and taking the group of travelers away.

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As the group disappeared, a hushed silence fell across the land.

Not far away, in a lonely field, a single hand punched out of the soil, spraying dirt everywhere. The soil had been hastily packed on, so getting the rest of the body out was easy. Maecenas stood, brushing grime off of her dress and hair before looking out to the sea.

She smiled.

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AN: Final chapter! Just when I was seriously losing interest in this, I tried writing some more… I like the story again! Sadly, I really had nothing else to write except for the 'wrap-up' stuff, so I'm sorry for the epic shortness! I could have kept it going… if I get another huge idea I might, but don't count on it ;D I want to start another story; I just need a good idea…

Till next time,

DP

…_Anyone have any ideas for my next story??? _

_Another Tsubasa?_

_Crossover?_

_Song fic? (just kidding, but I could try)_

_Last time I checked, Tsubasa has only one chapter left! *fangirl scream of anguish* unless it was posted in the last hour… o.O;_

"_fish-flopping fool" is something my principal said over the intercom one day when he was giving a rather epic mini speech on staying in school and doing our best. No disrespect to him (really, he's a pretty ok guy I guess… he actually cares about the band at least), but it was so funny! It left the entire class in a shocked silence, including the teacher, until everyone was laughing_


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